When we stepped out of the van in Chile Chico this morning, we were greeted by gale force winds striking our faces. Apparently typical in this region, wind in Chile Chico is powerful enough to knock us over, kick dust in our eyes, and push us off course! To take advantage of these winds, which regularly blow over 50 km per hour, the town has installed a small wind turbine that pumps irrigation water throughout the town’s orchards.
During our time in Chile Chico, Dam Analyst Squad and Co. met with the local municipality to discuss the impacts of the previous gold mining industry on the town. Through our meeting at the Chile Chico municipality, we hoped to understand better the impact of large industry on Patagonian towns and to learn about the possible effects that HidroAysen’s dams could cause in Cochrane.
The influx of workers, which are termed personas flotantes (floating people), is the main impact that Chile Chico municipal workers believe would affect Cochrane. The floating people present in Chile Chico during its mining era brought to the town a host of ills, including prostitution, increased cost of living and decreased school funding. Our hope is that knowing this information and including suggestions for mitigating it in our theses will help the region prepare for the dams if they are indeed installed.
Tonight we celebrate Laura’s birthday. (Her age shall remain anonomous, she is a lady!) Although we were neither sly nor clever with our celebration preparation, we enjoyed apricot tart and Chliean vino to celebrate her birthday Chile-style. ¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Laura!