Learn about El Yunque Cont.

 

          Here you will find another set of questions to expand you understanding of El Yunque.

 

4. Why are Puerto Rican Parrots endangered?

 

        The Puerto Rican Parrot is a beautiful bird that is only found in Puerto Rico. This bird nests in hollow trees such as the Palo Colorado. This bird is also critically endangered. The Puerto Rican Parrot is endangered for multiple reasons. The first and main reason is that deforestation has eliminated their habitat. Another reason is that the only available habitats are mostly inhabited by the Pearly-eyed Thrasher, an aggressive bird that has invaded the parrot’s prime habitat. Yet another reason is that an infusion of honeybees has taken over cavities in many of the Palo Colorado trees suitable for parrot nesting. Thanks to many associations and people’s hard work, there are about 200 (out of the original 13 that existed in the 1960’s) alive today. Out of the about 200 birds alive, 50 are in the wild.

 

 

5. What is the history of El Yunque?

 

Here is the history of El Yunque:

        In the early 1500, Spanish Conquistadores arrived in Puerto Rico and found that Puerto Rico was populated by Taino Indians. To the Taino Indians El Yunque was a sacred place, where they worshiped their gods and made religious ceremonies. The Spanish soon found out that El Yunque was filled with gold. After almost all of the gold was removed from El Yunque, the Spanish crown proclaimed El Yunque as a forest reserve. When the U.S. won the Spanish- American War, Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory. El Yuunque rain forest became a federal reserve. In 1903, President Roosevelt designated the Luquillo Forest Reserve. This Luquillo Forest Reserve is what we call today El Yunque National Forest, El Yunque for short. Many of the development of the recreational facilities were made with Roosevelt’s “New Deal Plan" in the late 1930’s. In 1935, the Luquillo Forest Reserve’s name was changed to Caribbean Nation Forest. The roads and recreational facilities that were not built in the “New Deal Plan" were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The Civilian Conservation Corps also worked in the reforestation of El Yunque. Then, in 1946, El Yunque was designated as a wild life refuge. In El Yunque many research was, and is, done. In fact, in 1956, its name changed to Luquillo Experimental Forest in recognition to its growing research. Next, in 1968, conservation efforts began to save the amazing Puerto Rican Parrot from becoming extinct. Many years passed and finally El Yunque received its current name, El Yunque Nation Forest. It even got designated a biosphere. El Yunque even opened its own visitor’s center called El Portal Tropical Forest Center, to keep the tradition of education and public service. Now El Yunque continues to make many advances in Science, but most important it still leaves a mark in every visitor’s heart.    

 

 

6. What does El Yunque mean?

        Yunque (from the forest El Yunque) is based from the Taino word “Yu-ke” which means white lands. Another reason that this forest is called El Yunque is that when the Spaniards came to Puerto Rico, they heard the lighting storms of El Yunque and thought it to be the sound of a giant hammer hitting an anvil. In Spanish, the word for anvil is yunque. Here are the two reasons why El Yunque is called El Yunque. 

Make a Free Website with Yola.