Western Slopes to the Pacific Coast - Adventure Guide to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - page 243

Entrance to the reserve is $2. The fastest way to Mindo fromQuito is
via the Puerto-Quito Highway through the Mitad del Mundo
(Equatorial Monument) and Calacalí. The village of Santa Rosa is
only a couple of hours from Quito. Just beyond it is the turnoff for
Mindo, which you'll reach after a few miles on this rough road. Be
sure to check road conditions before heading out. The best birding
guide is Vinicio Pérez (Correo Central de Mindo, 2-2612-995).

Make arrangements with Friends of Mindo , on the main road into
town, or in Quito at

2-2455-907, prior to visiting the reserve. Or
contact Safari Ecuador , Calama 380 and Juan León Mera, Quito,

2-2552-505, fax [phone], [e-mail], www.safari.
com.ec, in the US,

800/434-8182. Safari offers general and birding
tours that include trips to Mindo and Bilsa.

On the Road through Santo
Domingo de los Colorados
Bilsa Biological Reserve
The 7,770-acre Bilsa Biological Station is a nature reserve and
center for field research and environmental education. It was created
with a grant from the Jatun Sacha Foundation in 1994 and preserves
a critical piece of Ecuador's remaining coastal premontane forest.

Located in the Mache Mountains, Bilsa has a unique blend of flora
and fauna. Although physically isolated from the Andes, the reserve
protects species previously thought to be endemic to the western An-
dean highland forests 62miles to the southwest, as well as species en-
demic to the Choco, a pluvial forest of southern coastal Colombia. The
region's rugged topography (981 to 2,616 feet in elevation) and the
coastal climate keep Bilsa's ridges shrouded in fog. These ridges sus-
tain cloud-forest species usually restricted tomuch higher elevations.
Rare animals found at the reserve include the jaguar, several species
of small cats, the long-wattled umbrella bird, the giant anteater, and
abundant populations of the threatened mantled howler monkey. In
addition, more than 30 new plant species have been discovered at
Bilsa.

In 1996 the Jatun Sacha Foundation established the reserve's Cen-
ter for the Conservation of Western Forest Plants . The center
serves as a base for community extension and outreach programs em-
phasizing agroforestry, health, environmental education, and the de-
velopment of community management plans. Each year it produces
approximately 100,000 tree saplings for use in reforestation projects,
including 90 species of tropical fruit and nut trees and 60 local woody