My Peace Corps site: El Salvador
Niña Ana and Kelly admire a massive ceiba, the largest tree in El Imposible National Park.
My full name is Erin Paige Kelly and I am 27.My Peace Corps volunteer site is in a small community close to El Imposible National Park, El Salvador. It’s about 7,500 kilometers (4,660 miles) between Fairbanks and El Salvador. Cara Sucia is the nearby town where I go to read e-mail every Wednesday.
The park was officially created in March 1989. A brief history of where the name came from is in El Imposible National Park and its Wildlife (a book published by SalvaNatura and Shell El Salvador). In the early 20th century, coffee farmers used to transport their coffee by mule train from the coffee fincas (farms) that were located north of the park to the port of Acajutla in the south. At El Imposible Pass, there was a steep, narrow gorge located between two mountains that made transport of the coffee very dangerous. The coffee farmers made several bridges across the pass, but unfortunately the bridges could not withstand the weight and collapsed, carrying the farmers, mules and coffee with them. So, the name of the park comes from how impossible, and dangerous, it was for the farmers to transport their coffee from the north to the south. In 1968, the government constructed a bridge at El Imposible Pass, which opened up transportation from the north (Tacuba) to the south (Cara Sucia).
El Imposible Pass is usually referred to as El Puente El Imposible (The Impossible Bridge), and it is an 8 kilometer (4.9 mile) hike to get there from the community I live in. There is a plaque on the bridge that says "Año 1968, ya dejó de ser imposible" ("Year 1968, no longer is it impossible").
SalvaNatura
The non-governmental agency I work with, SalvaNatura, has been managing the park since 1991 under concession from the government’s Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (El Ministerio del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales – MARN). They signed a joint management agreement with the government of El Salvador, allowing SalvaNatura to work for "the protection, conservation and development of El Imposible."
During its management, SalvaNatura has also played a part in purchasing new land to be added to the national park. During its first 10 years of managing El Imposible, SalvaNatura purchased almost 400 hectares (960 acres) of land, which was later transferred to the government and the park. The full name of SalvaNatura is the Fundación Ecología de El Salvador (Ecological Foundation of El Salvador).
During Peace Corps training we were told that as women we may find it difficult to work with men, and that we may not be given proper respect or consideration by them. The Protected Areas Dept. of SalvaNatura consists of three men, my counterpart Don Enrique being one of them, and all of the park guards are men. I have never once felt uncomfortable or disrespected by any of them. I can joke around and/or have a serious conversation with any one of them, including my counterpart. Forming good relationships was something I was really worried about upon arriving here, but it has not been a problem at all.
The ecology of bosque El Imposible
El Imposible National Park has an area of almost 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) and it is the largest park in El Salvador. It is home to the greatest diversity of flora and fauna of any of the three parks. The topography of the park is very steep, and elevation ranges from about 250 meters (825 feet) above sea level (in my community) to 1,425 meters (4,785 feet).
One of the most remarkable aspects of the park is that eight rivers have their sources in El Imposible, and they are therefore an important source of uncontaminated water for the surrounding communities. The water of El Imposible eventually makes its way southward to the mangroves of La Barra de Santiago, which is another protected area with great ecological and economic importance. El Imposible and La Barra de Santiago make up the largest and most important watershed in Western El Salvador. Without the fresh water ("agua dulce" as they say here) of El Imposible, the diverse ecosystem of the mangrove forests of the Barra de Santiago estuary would not exist. Thanks to the mature forest found within the park, as well as to the coffee and citrus trees in the higher elevations, very little erosion of soil into rivers is seen here. There is basically a guarantee of clean, fresh water here even in the dry season.
Diversity of species
El Imposible is home to over 400 species of trees, the largest of which include the conocaste, the ceiba and the mulo. The seeds of several trees and plants found within the park are used in "artesanía," or crafts. My closest friend, Niña Ana, who also happens to be my community liaison, uses the seeds to make necklaces and bracelets to sell to tourists. There are also a large number of trees and plants that have medicinal uses. I’m always amazed when I go hiking with the park guides and guards. They are always willing to explain all the medicinal uses of the plants to me. Their knowledge is absolutely incredible.
There are also between 5,000 and 6,000 species of butterflies in the park, making the park home to the greatest diversity of butterflies in El Salvador. El Imposible is home to only 53 species of amphibians and reptiles, which is a rather small number in comparison to other parts of Central America. Some of the most well-known snakes here include the boa constrictor, coral, falsa coral roja (tropical milksnake), and cascabel (neotropical rattlesnake). Thank goodness I have only seen three snakes since I’ve been here!
El Imposible has never been scientifically inventoried for mammals, but it is estimated that approximately 103 species inhabit the park. Some of the most commonly seen animals include: cusuco (nine-banded armadillo), ardilla de deppe (Deppe’s squirrel), cotusa (Central American agouti), pezote (white-nosed coati), and the venado cola blanca (White-tailed Deer). There are also tuncos de monte (collared peccary…it’s like a wild pig) and osos hormigueros (anteater), but I’m still waiting to see one. Many of the animals here are nocturnal, so it is rather hard to see them. The fact that people actually live in the park makes it that much harder to view the wildlife.
I would say that one of the most studied aspects of the park is the diversity of birds. There are 282 species of birds reported here, which makes it home to more birds than any other park in the country. Since El Imposible is one of the largest forested areas in the country, it is a great place to see raptors, such as the massive rey zope (king vulture). The park is also an important area for migrating birds.
Here are the names of a few species of birds that are found in the park, although they tend to be rare: aguililla blanca (white hawk), pajuil (great curassow…a cool-looking bird that is a little smaller than a turkey and spends most of its time on the ground. I’ve only seen two since I’ve been here.), rey zope (king vulture), and the pava (crested guan).
The national bird is the momoto cejiturqueza (turquoise-browed motmot), but it is generally referred to as the "torogoz" because of its song. It is a beautiful bird with a long, turquoise-colored tail. Hummingbirds are also frequently seen in the park.
Living conditions for a PCV
I rent the place I live from a couple, the wife comes home on weekends because they
also have a place in San Salvador. I have my own entrance and my own shower because
they use indoor plumbing and I have a latrine outside and a spigot coming out of my
back wall where I shower. The only thing I have to share with the family is the main
holding area where the water is for washing clothes. I put my clean, wet clothes on
my roof to dry.
Right now (in October) the weather is quite enjoyable. I’m going to miss the rain, all it does is rain every day, it makes the weather more bearable. It was so hot during March and April I couldn’t even be in my house during the day, I had to get up at the crack of dawn to do anything. This year the rainy season started in early June. August and September are the rainiest months. There is a downpour every afternoon. The rainy season is starting to come to a close, it’s not raining quite as often. It is a lot cooler here in November and December, it gets really windy.
There are roughly 155 Peace Corps volunteers in El Salvador right now. The program is changing, though. Now new groups come only two times a year but they are larger groups.
I just got a package from UAF which included a vial that supposedly "creates" snow. I’m going home to Massachusetts for Christmas this year and I can’t wait, hope there’s a blizzard!
For more information please contact:
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Erin Kelly, U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer, El Salvador, epk02@hotmail.com
Photos by Tony Gasbarro.