Patagonia, a Treasure Trove of Nature In danger of being submerged by a dam project

The last remaining Goucho and his family herd the sheep and cattle that feed the staff at the Estancia Chacabuco, this estancia, previously one of the largest in Chilean Patagonia is now becoming the new Patagonia National Park. The process of creating the park involves removing fences and most of the animals from the property to allow these grasslands to heal. Gaucho: Erasmo Betancur Casanova (nickname: Beta) and his wife Eliana Casanova herding animals on horseback, cooking in their camp kitchen and sheering sheep. Also scenes of Beta lassoing a cow and then bleeding it to death and then the entire family and estancia staff butchering the cow.Story on the culture, community activism and landscapes of the region of Chilean Patagonia that will be effected if 5 hydropower dams are created on the Baker and Pascua Rivers; two of the wildest rivers in the world. Completion of the dams would submerge 5,910 hectares of Patagonia's wild lands and would result in the construction of 200 foot tall transmission lines through a clear cut 400 feet wide for 1,500 miles through 64 communities and 14 protected areas. The transmission lines would provide incentive to build more dams; between Patagonia and Santiago. (Photo by Bridget Besaw/Aurora Photos/AFLO) [2980]