Provincial Park "Bajo de Veliz"

In the northeast sector of the Province of San Luis to 212 km of the City of San Luis. To 30 km to the west of Santa Rosa, thence by the Provincial Route Nº 5 10 km are made until the place the Duraznito and before crossing himself by provincial route Broken Nº 43 until of the Cap, soon to descend 4 km thus arriving at the South end of the depression.

Object of Creation: To protect deposits of fossil rest in stone slate that thus represent the geologic registry corresponding to the periods carboniferous-pérmico like also species of native flora. One of the most important depressions of the province. Narrow depression of 12 km in length (the North south). "Bajo de Véliz" with their hills covered with exuberante vegetation, the rumoroso passage of the Cautana stream and the secrets contained in the stone quarries slates represent a unique and invaluable patrimony. The Low one makes million years comprised of the continent of Gondwana, constituted reason why today it is Africa, a part of South America, the Antártida and India leaving remarkable evidences of it.

It is a formation pertaining to the Superior Carbonic Period of the Paleozoic Age. The stones slates contain animal fossils and extinguished plants, strangers or existing in other latitudes, as thus also tracks of ferns and trunks. Mortars carved on the rock, remain like quiet witnesses of the existence of diverse native tribes, like the "Comechingones". Here the petrified fossil of the greatest spider of the world was discovered. * Megarachne Servinei Hunicken, found in 1976 in a stone block slate. Their measures oscillate in 34 cm. in length and 50 cm. of space between leg and leg. It has four pairs of possible eyes.

Pollini: This is second megarachne found in "Bajo de Véliz". All their members are covered by pilíferos tubercles. An antiquity of 300 million years calculates to him. Unlike first, it is observed details to him of the extremities clearly. It has 45 cm. in length, 64 cm. between leg and leg and five pairs of appendices.

Also we found three units of guayacán (Caesalpinia paragüariensis), this is a biological peculiarity in this ecosystems since its natural habitat is in the northeast north of Argentina and the south of the bordering countries of the region. This park is a true door to the past more remote where the lovers of paleontology, the archaeology and the origins of the life will find treasures of 268 million years.

Climate

Due to the relief of mountain range, the situation and direction are that it tells on particular climatic conditions that denominates climate of mountain range, tempering, characterized by a greater humidity in the surrounding areas and smaller temperatures in general. Main the climatic ones considered as far as precipitations are of 600 mm annual. The period of rains includes/understands the months of March and September. The temperatures in winter, oscillate between a maximum of 24º and a minimum of -12º. In summer the maximum go up to around 40º and the minimum 19º.

"La Florida" Reserve

Is located 45 km to the northeast of the City of San Luis. In the North coast of the dam Florida. One is distant of the Trapiche to 6 km. It is constituted by 340 hectares where one is the native and exotic flora of the region and animals. It allows the direct bonding with unit in his habitat, as aquatic flames, goats and birds, in addition to unit in captivities or semicaptivity like the red deer, canoras birds and rapaces, Creole, ñandúes, cóndores, quirquinchos hares, pumas, gray foxes and antelopes of India.

The Reserve counts on very a well demarcated internal circuit through a way asphalted in very good state, on signaling of attractive and communicates, throughout approximately 4 km, the enclosure of the red deer axis, the one of the gray foxes, enclosure of antelopes and iguanas, the gilded enclosure of agouti, the forests of espinillos, the central zone, the enclosure of martinetas and perdices and the enclosure of pumas. The central zone is where the attention to the visitors takes place and it is counted on the enclosures of ñandúes, canoras and domestic boas of the vizcacheras, birds, vizcachas, wild cat, pecaríes, wild boars, maras, goats, youthful red deer, aquatic birds, quirquinchos, coipos, etc

In the central zone is the area that acts as of attention and recreation. There it operates the maintenance personnel, reception to the public and is counted on facilities that lodge ñandúes, canoras and domestic boas of the vizcacheras, birds, vizcachas, wild cat, pecaríes, wild boars, maras, goats, red deer, birds aquatic, quirquinchos, coipos, etc. represented by molles, espinillos, chañares, caldén, black and white carob tree, annoy, destroy, piquillín, usillo. Account with unit of puma, wild boar, colored red deer, iguanas (red and overo lizard), perdices, gray fox, wild cat, European hare, armadillos, different species from bats, aquatic birds (herons, ducks, etc.), rapaces and canoras.

In captivity and semicaptivity at the moment there is ñandúes, guanacos, flames, pecaríes, vizcachas, boas of the vizcacheras, corzuelas (sacha-goat), maras, aquatic birds, pheasants, etc.

This area corresponds to mountain the subhumid tempered climatic unit. The Mountain ranges of San Luis enjoy truely humid atmospheres in comparison with the climates that follow towards the west. These have a South North direction predominant perpendicular to the course whereupon habitually they advance the air masses and storm fronts. The topographic irregularity gives rise to that climatic subtypes within the mountain climate exist.

Forest Reserve "Quebrada de las Higueritas"

Municipality of Luján. Going 5 km to the Southeast of the entrance to Luján, 1 km of the dam. From the Route is acceded by track of 700 to arriving at a place known like Door of the Gorge.

It is better to accede walking due to the narrowness of the entrance way. This gorge has a quite rectilinear form in the North-South way, turning aside itself in some sectors to the N-NO. It has a length approximated of 7 km and a wide variable of up to 2 km in some points. Their general slopes are of a 10%, arriving in some slope sectors with slopes of a 50%. It limits towards the West by the Cord of the Realito; towards the East with the zone of dam that separates it of the Luján River; towards the North with the plain of the Locality of Luján and towards the South with the Stay the Potrero (to the North of the Burned Gorge).

This Forest Reserve is crossed by the river of the same name, and there it is possible to be walked 2,500 meters through a majestic one broken with a tempered climate very humid that has given rise a dense vegetation that in certain places takes form of forest. Some present arboreal species are: cuttings, chañar, black and white quebracho, molles to drink, coconuts or willow hediondo, palms caranday. Other vegetal species that are: chilcas, peje, espinillo, pothook, cortaderas, tusca, annoy, culantrillos alpataco, tintitaco, ferns, tail of horse, tail of quirquincho, totoras, matagusanos, gualan, clavel of the air, chaguar of the mountain range, chaguar of the donkey or high twig, rushes, canes, wild apricot, zarzaparrilla, apple tree of the field, jume, male paico, tunas, albahaquilla of the field, jaboncillo, beard of stone, watercress, romerillo, among others. At the moment, problems by the possession of this reserve exists, since the Municipality of Luján is in favor of taking posession. Here the tempered climate subhumid Serrano predominates. The gorge is safe from the air masses, leaving to pass the humidity and the light of the sun in a balance that we could denominate microclimate giving like result a covered vegetation.

*Data contributed by the Program of Provincial and National Parks.