THE TRANSIT OF VENUS

Astronomical Observation | Tuesday June 5 | 5-8p.m. | Four Winds Plaza | El Charco del Ingenio | 40pesos | Phyllis Pitluga, Astronomer Emertus Chicago Planetarium

This will be the last time in our life time to see Venus crossing the sun, taking the form of a small disk with its night side toward Earth. The next occasion to observe this will be in 2117, 105 years from now.  Since Venus will cross while the sun is shining, the only way to safely watch this transit is by using a specially equipped telescope which will be installed in the Plaza of Four Winds at the Botanical Garden.  This phenomenon starts at 5p.m. Tuesday afternoon, June 5th and will be visible until sunset at 8:22p.m.  If time permits, plan on joining us to see this event.

For people in ancient times in Mexico, Venus played an important role in their beliefs and they were able to prepare accurate and sophisticated records according to its cycle around the sun of 584 days. In the West, the observation of transits of Venus goes back to the fifteenth century, when it was discovered that they were presented in pairs separated by 8 years. The last one occurred in 2004. And now we have the opportunity to observe the pair.

On this same day we will inaugurate the mural in our Solar Observatory located in front of the Plaza. The Observatory was created by Guillermo Veytia with the assistance of Phyllis Pitluga, Astronomer Emeritus of the Chicago Planetarium and resident of San Miugel.

NOTE:  looking directly at the sun may cause irreversible damage to your sight. Sunglasses do not help. Special sun filters are required.

TIBETAN MONKS IN EL CHARCO

Sunday, June 24th |  11a.m. |   Plaze of Four Winds |  Free Entrance 

Since 2004, when the Dalai Lama XVI declared the Charco del Ingenio a Zone of Peace, along with five other sites in Mexico, ceremonial visits by Tibetan monks have been frequent in the Garden. This year the monks will be welcomed solemnly by the stewards of the Santa Cruz del Charco del Ingenio, who "give the word” to the monks so they can perform their ritual ceremony in the Plaza of the Four Winds of the Botanical Garden. The public is invited to this beautiful ceremony of healing of nature and universal communion.

A DRY RESERVOIR

“Wild and Wonderful: Nature up close in the Botanical Garden El Charco del Ingenio”.  Walter Meagher and Wayne Colony. W&W Publications. San Miguel de Allende (2008) extract.

Water divides the landscape of El Charco, separating north from south, creating habitats of the greatest diversity from June to October.   Within the year, the presa fills and empties, flood following drought, then drought returning again.  It is a cycle of excesses.  Life is adjusted to this regularity, but not to the long-term perturbation of the system.  Health and duration of the presa cannot be guaranteed.     North of the presa is a seasonally wet meadow, a precious habitat, one that distinguishes El Charco from all the land surrounding it for many miles.       Arroyo La Longaniza is the principal channel for collecting water from farms and fields upstream from Parque Landeta, and from the northeastern runnels on the slopes of the Los Picachos mountains.

It is a winter period when the presa is full, the sun is shining, the air is clean and migratory waterfowl are arriving.  But of all the habitats in El Charco, the presa changes more dramatically from season to season, as the water table lowers and rises, rises and lowers, than any other. 

As the water diminishes, then disappears, bird life changes. With the water gone and the vegetation changed, ducks give space to haws and other predatory fowl. From a listless body of water welcoming dabblers and divers, the presa has become an open field inhospitable to grasses, a field dominated by a few species of herbaceous plants. In time, the rain comes again, and the weedy plants of the dry presa are once again inundated by the rising water level to disappear for another season.

THANKS TO THE GARDEN CLUB

Everyone responds to nature in a particular way and the Garden Club of San Miguel de Allende’s assistance comes in the form of new labels for our botanical garden. Following the fire on May 24, 2011, the Garden Club of San Miguel de Allende, decided to support El Charco del Ingenio financially for  informative labels for different educational spaces of the site.

After many difficulties, we have appropriate labels that serve to transmit more information to our visitors. Thus, during the month of June we will begin to renew tags which were previously made with markers and which the wind, the sun and the earth constantly erased.

We thank all the members of the Garden Club for their patience and commitment to support San Miguel’s most coherent and prestigious conservation project

TELEVISION SERIES ON BOTANICAL GARDENS

The Mexican Association of Botanical Gardens and the Botanical Garden of the Institute of Biology of UNAM have organized a series of programs to introduce some Mexican botanical gardens to the public. Every Friday during the month of June at 9a.m. tune into Channel 22. Don’t miss it.

July 9 – August 3 | Mondays – Fridays from 9a.m.-2p.m. | Children from 6-12 years old | Limited Space

Information and Registration:  elcharcocomunicacion@gmail.com

The unfortunate spills of black water from SAPASMA’s pumping station in Palmita de Landeta to the Ecological Preservation Zone demonstrates the ineffectiveness of the permanent drainage pump.  This situation was caused by the total failure of previous municipal administrations to foresee the problems that would be caused by authorizing urban development in areas where residential discharges could not be handled adequately by the city’s infrastructure. Because of this planning error and the problems experienced with black water spilling into Parque Landeta, and due to the initiative of the Botanical Garden, in 2004 the State Water Commission (CEAG) created a water treatment plant using artificial wetland technology to clean the residual discharge (3 liters/second). CEAG turned the operational plant over to the Municipality in 2009.  Unfortunately, neither the last nor the current municipal administrations have looked after it, nor has SAPASMA, which has obliged the Botanical Garden, with the cooperation of UNAM (the new caretakers of Parque Landeta), to look after the flow of water in and out of the plant to maintain a minimum of functionality. However, due to various errors in CEAG’s original plan and execution of the treatment plant, disruptions were caused within months of starting to operate until finally it was completely deactivated in 2011.  Since then SAPASMA’s pumping station has had to take the entire residual discharge to the municipal collectors using obsolete and insufficient equipment which has caused spills of contaminated water into the Ecological Preservation Zone.  In consequence, the Botanical Garden has formally asked the Executive Secretary of CEAG, Engineer Angelica Casillas, to have the treatment plant properly repaired, correcting the design and construction errors which caused its collapse, and which should then be operated by SAPASMA just as all the other treatment plants are.  To date we have not received a reply to our petition from Engineer Casillas….

VISIT OF AN IMPORTANT CACTOLOGIST FROM CUBA

For the second time, during the month of May, Raul F. Alfonso, Cuban cactologist and horticulturist with much experience, from the Agrarian University of Havana and the National Cuban Botanical Garden, visited and actively participated in activities at El Charco.  His work with the curator of El Charco, assisted by our advisor, Mario Mendoza, has truly enriched and improved our management of the botanical collection as well as the propagation of plants in the nursery.  Some specimen had pest problems which is common in plants outside their natural habitat and Raul was able to improve the health of the collection.  He also collaborated in designing a new exhibition area of rescued plants which will soon be open to the public near the Conservatory.  Raul also assisted Martita (our curator) in giving workshops to El Charco’s staff. Thank you, Raul, friend and we hope to see you again soon in El Charco.

CITIZEN´S WATER COUNCIL

May 31st, the fourth workshop of this group, called by the environmental organization Salvemos al Rio Laja, took place.  During the meeting there was a follow up on several documents concerning the analysis of the Independence Watershed.  This effort on the part of civil society is made possible thanks to the support of a United Nations program that strengthens citizen involvement, in this case the creation of a Citizen’s Water Council of San Miguel de Allende.

Published in Ketzalkoatl

COMING ACTIVITIES

KUNDALINI YOGA IN EL CHARCO DEL INGENIO

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays from 9-10:30a.m. | 50 pesos per class or a monthly package (8 continuous classes) 320 pesos for members and 350 pesos for general public.

Instructor: Marisol Arau

Marisol is a disciple of Guru Dev Singh Khalsa and has been practicing Kundilini Yoga since 1984. She studed at the Sat Nam Rasayan School in Mexico.

Kundilini Yoga is based on a profound and integrated knowledge of the human being. It uses various methods such as breath (pranayama), sound (naad yoga), meditation, physical exercise (kriyas), mudras (positions of the hand), bhandas and relaxation – which help expand the capacity to be, provide better health, happiness and a road full of blessings.

Bring a yoga mat and blanket.

For more information: elcharcocomunicacion@gmail.com 

Monday, June 4th  | 8p.m. | Plaza of 4 Winds | members free, 30pesos general public

We invite everyone to this open celebration that has been taking place for many years during the full moon cycle at the Four Winds Plaza in the Botanical Garden.

We celebrate the Full Moon Ceremony to come back into balance with nature on earth. Come and enthusiastically participate and dedicate your intention and energies at the Plaza of the Four Winds.  Bonfire, incense, chanting, drumming included.  Bring flutes, cymbals, a drum or any other instrument if you want. 

It’s worth arriving a little early to admire the setting of the sun and the appearance of the moon over the mountains. You may want to bring a coat for cool evenings. Children welcome.

Any questions, call Alicia Mayo at 152 .0376.

TRADITIONAL TEMAZCAL

Saturday, June 9th  |  6p.m.
Sunday, June 10th  | 9:30a.m.

Cost 250pesos | Limited space| Reservations required with 50% deposit
This sweat-lodge steam bath, of ritual and healing character, takes place under the direction of an experienced temazcal leader in the ruins of the hacienda located in the Botanical Garden on the far side of the reservoir.
The combination of heat, humidity and fragrant herbs provides a purifying experience for the body and spirit. Its benefits are multiple: it activates circulation, increases the body’s defenses, eliminates pains, decreases uric acid, relaxes the muscles, regulates the nervous system, stimulates respiration and is excellent for losing weight.

RESERVATION NECESSARY : elcharcocomunicacion@gmail.com | Tel:154.8838, 154.4715, or in the Botanical Garden visitor’s center.

Reservation deposit may be paid at the Garden’s reception  or at Posada Corazon (Aldama 9).

Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am | in English
Duration: two hours | Cost: $80 pesos, members $50

Walk the beautiful paths of El Charco and enjoy the beautiful landscape it has to offer. Discover the textures and smells of the various areas of the Garden, visit the Conservatory of Mexican Plants, the Scent Garden, the canyon, archaeological ruins, and much more.

Every first and third Wednesday of the month, 9 am – 11:30 am.                  

Cost:  100 pesos general public | 60 pesos Audubon or El Charco members

Guide: Signe Hammer

The walks are for birders of all levels. They begin at 9:00 am and last about 2 1/2 hours. No reservations needed, and feel free to leave the walk at any time.  Please bring binoculars, wear comfortable walking shoes and a hat, and bring water. Your guide will meet you after you pass through the Reception area of the Botanical Garden.

VISIT THE GIFT SHOP AND CAFÉ

In this hot season, we invite you to have some delicious, nutritious and refreshing juices in our Café after your walk around the Garden.

You may also want to acquire a cactus or more from our collection which are available for purchase on the side of the Café.