Location: The Valdez reserve is located on the southern margin of the urban ejido of Tolhuin. It limits to the North, with the South coast of Lake Khami or Fagnano; to the East with the lands of the Community of the Shelk'nam People, part of the West and South limits of the urban ejido of Tolhuin, together with the 54º 38 '40 "south latitude; and to the West, part of the eastern banks of the Tumbadero stream and the Valdez river. " It is approximately 100 km away from the city of Río Grande to the north, and 98 km from the provincial capital to the south.

Conservation value:

The most outstanding attractions of the Río Valdez Provincial Reserve are the Andean-Patagonian forests and the vegas with the presence of Turba de Sphagnum magellanicum. It has bodies of water of great scenic value as "Laguna del Indio" located next to Lake Fagnano, "Aguas Blancas Lagoon" located in the southeast end of the reserve, and the "mouth of the Valdez River" forming part of its western limit. In addition, the viewpoint of the Jeujepen hill at 500 meters high offers a wonderful view of the protected area.

Another value to consider is that it is a reserve with current forest use, this resource being very important for the development of the Tolhuin community.

Category: Provincial Reserve of Multiple Use

What services does it offer?

The reserve, at present was created to respond to several needs, on the one hand tourist-recreational and on the other, forestry. Within the limits of the reserve you can develop activities such as hiking, canoeing, camping, cycling, photographic safaris, nature observation, bird watching, cultural and educational interpretation.

The Laguna del Indio and the Valdez River are two of the main sites where sport fishing is practiced. The diversity of avifauna converts the reserve into a special area to develop bird watching and nature observation.

In Laguna del Indio the Municipal Campsite is located, with a camping area and has a shelter with heating, tables, grill, electric light, toilets and hot water. Easily accessible, 11 km from the city of Tolhuin, on the R.N. 3 at Km 2948. In the Aguas Blancas lagoon, on the border with the Reserve, a campsite is under construction by an Ona Community.

Description:

The Reserve is included in the region of the Andean-Patagonian forests,

represent unique units given that they lack an exuberant understory, similar to

that exist in the continental Andean-Patagonian forests. It has an area of ​​2343 hectares, has a large number of roads product of forestry carried out before its creation and a section of the old route of National Route No. 3, part of a coastal path that allows you to appreciate the immensity of the landscape on the southern shore of Lake Khami or Fagnano. The reserve has two bodies of water: Laguna del Indio and a sector of the Laguna de Aguas Blancas, a lagoon of glacial origin, surrounded by a peat bog environment. Next to the access road to the Aguas Blancas lagoon, there are demonstration plots of forest management trials in Mutarelli, where one can observe how a sector of the forest has undergone different silvicultural treatments. These plots have a high value from the educational point of view.

You can observe a great diversity of birds, associated with both the forest and bodies of fresh water. In addition, some mammals such as field mice, guanacos, and foxes are frequent. This protected area would represent an important habitat for the recovery of the red fox, since it is scarce in the part of the center of the province, after years of suffering a severe reduction of its area of ​​distribution.

Creation story:

The Rio Valdez Provincial Reserve was created within the regime of the Provincial System of Natural Protected Areas, provided by Chapter V, of Provincial Law No. 272, established by Provincial Law No. 600. Its management is in charge of the Ministry of Environment , Sustainable Development and Climate Change of the Government of the Province of Tierra del Fuego, on which depends the General Directorate of Protected Areas and Biodiversity, who has among its missions and functions the administration and management of the Provincial System of Protected Natural Areas.

Formerly an area of ​​significant timber exploitation, this activity is currently regulated, where it analyzes the response of the forest to different treatments, through demonstration plots of forest management trials. These plots have a high value from the educational point of view.

Since the creation of the reserve, improvements have been made and new paths have been set up, such as the implementation of the "Mirador del Cerro Jeujepén" trail in March 2009.