Patagonia Dispatch 3 February 17, 2010 from Tranquilo, Chile

The clouds and wind have returned – welcome to Patagonia! This has derailed our chance to revisit the marble caves but no one seems too disappointed because we are now leaving earlier for Valle Chacabuco, the site of the future Patagonia National Park. At 173,000 acres Chacabuco is a grand place with mountains, wetlands, birds, pumas, foxes, guanacos and the mighty Baker river – which is slated to be dammed. If the Baker is dammed 70 meter tall high tension wires will be placed right through the heart of the Chacabuco scaring the landscape forever. Today and for the next four days our photographers and film makers will fan out over the Chacabuco to make images and film for large media projects that will span the globe in an effort to derail the five dam project on the Rio Baker and Rio Pascua.