Letter from Pepe Herrero
Environment – January 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine
Editors:
During the 1980s I lived in Salida when a season pass at Monarch cost $84, had no picture or restrictions and I could loan it to my Salida friends when I traveled to Honduras. I manage to visit every year since some of my very best friends still live there and have been able to observe that the long awaited growth is now a reality with all the consequences.
The concept of productive value is very intriguing as we are faced with rapid growth due to ecotourism and biofuel agriculture. Although we still have a lot of local production, the trend is toward transporting them here from bigger industrial sites.
Although we get over 250 inches of rain a year, water and watershed management are still critical issues. We have spectacular crystal clear watersheds dropping from 8000 feet to the Caribbean which are magnificent biological corridors and potential ecotourism emporiums if we implement best practices and the wisdom required. Bad watershed management means erosion and sedimentation which would affect the second largest barrier reef in the world which is our front yard. Not only would the siltation choke the reef but eroded rivers also give way to more intense floods from the ever-present hurricanes. The best flood control is natural vegetation.
It is worth noting that the Rio Cangrejal has become a world-class whitewater destination made possible by the pioneering efforts of my white water buddies from Salida who put the river on the international map eleven years ago; excellent people.
I am glad Salida is still Salida; my memories of FIBArk in the 1970s still linger.
Pepe Herrero
La Ceiba, Atlàntida
Honduras
