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La Estación Ecológica Río San Martín, LLC
2735 Valley View Drive
Missoula, MT 59803
406.251.7258
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History of La Estación Ecológica
Río San Martín, LLC
While planning a month-long trek through Bolivia's Madidi Natl. Park in 1999, I stumbled upon a web site advertising land for sale in Bolivia's eastern Amazonian lowlands. As a kid I was intrigued by all things creepy and crawly, and, after reading an account of British explorer Percy Fawcett's ill-fated expedition into the Amazon, was hooked and dreaming of one day exploring tropical rain forests. I decided to email the owners for more information and received photos of what appeared to be a uniquely beautiful property located in a little known corner of Bolivia far off the well traveled "Gringo Trail".
In April 1999, I decided to see the property first hand. Just getting there required several chartered flights in small planes to cross Bolivia's eastern Andean foothills and remote lowland jungles, miles of overland travel on rutted, dusty seasonal roads over the Beni Savannas, and then a long afternoon of canoe travel up the Río San Martín. After four days I arrived at El Prado, a nearly 3000 acre property teaming with an abundance and diversity of wildlife I hadn't seen on several previous trips to other regions of Amazonia. During my two-week stay I awoke daily to the guttural roaring of howler
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monkeys and the raucous chatter of hundreds of roosting parakeets, swam with freshwater boto dolphins, and fished for 30 lb. pirapitinga.
I knew a place so breathtakingly beautiful and ecologically intact had to be preserved. I spent the next five years contacting friends and acquaintances, and later, with the help of LLC member John Wenger, put together an LLC comprised of like-minded individuals with diverse backgrounds but a shared vision to purchase El Prado and establish it as a legally recognized preserve.
In 2006 we raised sufficient funds to purchase El Prado and, after a few false starts, created the Estación Ecológica Río San Martín. I'm proud to say that in the last few years we've hosted groups of birders, sport fishermen, tropical fish researchers, naturalists, and eco tourists, many of whom have returned to El Prado to pursue their passions.
In addition to our primary goals of ecosystem preservation and education, we provide employment opportunities for the local Itonama Indians. Two indigenous families currently reside full-time on El Prado and, when hosting larger groups, we've hired local guides with an intimate knowledge of the region's flora and fauna. |
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Ted Muhs
Occupation: Elementary and middle school teacher at the Missoula International School, an IBO candidate Spanish language immersion school.
Education: Master's Degree in Education/Teaching, Bachelor Degrees in biology and the performing arts
Interests: Tropical rain forest ecology, Spanish language, sport fishing, exploring, bluegrass and swing violin performance
406.241.8225
619.980.2681
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Vicky Bohlig
I am from Hamilton, Montana and was lucky to meet Ted and Rocio Muhs through real estate connections. I was immediately enthralled with Ted's descriptions of the Bolivian rainforest and the need to protect the ranch called El Prado, so I jumped at the chance be an active participant in rainforest protection and education. I have a degree in Environmental Studies from the College of Natural Resources, Utah State University and graduate work in Forestry from U of Montana. As an ecologist, the wholistic approach to land management led me to 5 years service on the Board of Directors of the Bitter Root Land Trust. I have been involved with local food security, garden collectives and community supported agriculture, Green building and development, sustainability in business practices, and the need for spiritual solutions for social justice and economics. We are all interconnected and I support progressive causes to that end such as Bioneers, Slow Food and the Baha'i inspired International Environment Forum. In July 2006 I had my first trip to South America. The 2 week El Prado adventure left a life-long impression on me. The remoteness, the fragility, the vastness, the on-going changes to that land and the native peoples is now part of my world. I am following, as best I can, the social revolution happening in Bolivia presently and it is both exciting and scarey! But that doesn't dampen my hope to make a second trip this 2008 summer or in 2009.
GreenPath Properties
406.363.5063
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Jeff Cardwell
Jeff Cardwell is an electrical contractor by profession, but a naturalist at heart with wide ranging interests in fish, reptiles, birds, and plants. He has traveled widely in Latin America to pursue his interest in nature and conservation. Currently residing in Kokomo, Indiana, Jeff lectures across the United States and Canada on tropical fish and rainforest ecology.
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Elizabeth Durnford
I lived in Alaska for 23 years before recently moving to Washington. From early childhood, I have had a love of nature. In Alaska, I had an opportunity to experience untouched wilderness. Because I am concerned about the increasing loss of wildlife habitats, I am dedicated to supporting areas like El Prado. Bill and I spent 2 months last year in Uganda volunteering in a school. We are also dedicated to helping others in the world develop a sustainable life style.
360.676.1663
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Jonathan "JJ (Chi-Chi)" Green
I am a special education teacher living in Tucson, AZ. My interest in El Prado is based on the one and only (so far!) trip I took in 2003. I was overwhelmed by the biodiversity, including wildlife viewing and fishing opportunities. I am glad to be an LLC member because I am proud to be part of the preservation effort. I hope to return soon with my wife, Rebecca, and our children, Grace and Daniel.
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Vinod Kutty
Vin Kutty is interested in freshwater fishes of the family Cichlidae. He has traveled extensively through South America, Africa and Asia studying and photographing the habitats of cichlids. He runs a website Mostly Cichlids.
He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
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Karin Leonard
Karin Leonard lives on a hill in Pismo Beach and dreams about the rest of the world as she looks out over the ocean. Grew up in a railroad man's family and thought
everyone loved to see the world. Plans to live past 100 and make every year count.
Works as a massage therapist and a community mediator; loves the past and the future.
Looks forward to actually meeting the other members of the LLC association. Wants to
step on the land of the Beni and feel the ancient inventiveness of the indigines.
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Roger Long
After spending way too long in the corporate world, I went back to school in the early nineties and got a bachelor's degree from Evergreen State College and the went on to get a Masters in Biology from Idaho State University . I am currently teaching high school math and science in Wallowa , Oregon .
Tropical rain forests have fascinated me since I was old enough to read. I tried to get funding to work in the tropics in grad school and never could. I eventually settled for a completing a Masters degree working on plant chemical defenses, which I thought would be very useful in the tropics.
I first visited El Prado in the summer of 2002 with Ted. It was my first visit to the Amazon Basin , and it was every thing I hoped it would be. The wildlife was amazing and the fishing was great. We stayed five weeks that first visit and ate nothing but rice, beans, and fish, and I never got tired of it.
My dream is to build and direct a biological field station at El Prado, complete with university affiliation.
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Robert Reynolds
Robert Reynolds has traveled extensively throught the neotropics to research and collect tropical fish species. He regularly travels to Bolivia's Beni region and El Prado on fish collecting and sport fishing expeditions.
"I'm a 1970 graduate from Humboldt State University with a major in fisheries management. I've been fortunate to have participated in fish culture projects in California, Nebraska, Idaho, Oregon, and El Salvador, Central America. I'm fluent in Spanish and have visited Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Equador, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, and Bolivia. I've sold wholesale tropical fish for the last 25 years. I'm currently semi-retired and I spend as much time as possible sport fishing, crabbing, and hunting."
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John Wenger
John Wenger is a wildlife biologist/naturalist from Alaska. He holds a B.S. in Biology and Wildlife Conservation and a M.S. in Nature Interpretation from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. He held positions with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Alaska Division of Parks. Off-duty from field projects, he taught classes in ornithology, botany, and wildlife tracking for the University of Alaska Anchorage. Eventually, due to demand, he created and owned a highly successful business leading natural history classes and expeditions for science teachers and nature lovers into Alaska's wilderness. Now retired but active, John leads birding/nature hikes for the Audubon Society. He is often invited to speak at university classes, symposiums, and bird festivals. A current goal is to document the bird species at our preserve and attract world birders. Living part of the year in Cochabamba, Bolivia, he works with researchers at Armonia and FaunAgua, active Bolivian environmental organizations. He invites you to our preserve.
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Estación Ecológica Río San Martín LLC- 2735 Valley View Drive - Missoula, MT 59803 - 406.251.7258 - Email |
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