Patagonia Expedition Plans

We are departing for a 3 week trip to Argentina next week with the goal of identifying additional funding projects for our Coldwater Program. Brandon White has been the lead on setting up the trip and has selected three unique ecosystems for us to explore.

The first place we will visit is in the 3.5 million acre wild and uninhabited Ibera Marsh in the northeast corner of Argentina. We will be staying at Pira Lodge for a couple of days and working with the Lodge fishing team to explore this area and opportunities for conservation projects. It is home to more than 350 species of birds, 85 mammals, 70 reptiles, marsh deer and South American Cayman. It has a vast system of crystal clear creeks, rivers and lakes 2½ times the size of the Everglades. The rivers are full of golden dorado. Argentina has recently taken a major step in preserving the Golden Dorado or Salminus Maxillosus by declaring it the national fish of Argentina, starting January 1, 2008.

Our next leg of the trip takes us into the heart of Patagonia as we explore the rivers and lakes along the Chilean-Argentina border starting North of Futa Lodge and traveling down past Estancia del Zorro. Traveling by SUV and armed with sleeping bags and a BBQ grill, we will explore the Rio Futalufu, Rio Frey, Rio Pico and Lago X. Ryan Davey, one of the original Trout Bums from the AEG, is our guide, fly casting instructor and favorite Argentine son.

Our final leg of the trip is to fly back to Buenos Aires then 1400 miles South to Rio Grande in Tierra Del Fuego. Located just 70 miles North of the Straits of Magellan, the Rio Grande River is home to a non-native sea-run brown trout. There are several research projects underway on the river, all in their early stages of work. We hope to identify one study to fund this year. This will give us a base of operations for gaining more knowledge about the region, people, culture and fishery - all essential to conduct a successful conservation project.

It should be an exciting trip for us and will fit in nicely with our Henry's Fork River project in Idaho this summer. Still trying to pack for all three environments. The Ibera Marsh is subtropical requiring summer clothes. The weather in Patagonia is similar to Jackson Hole, WY in the early fall so it can be cool. Finally in Tierra Del Fuego, the winds can howl and the temperatures drop this time of year. I just need a bigger bag...