Guajataca State Forest (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: ''Bosque Estatal de Guajataca'') is one of the 20 forests that make up the public forest system of

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. The Guajataca Forest is located in the northwestern part of Puerto Rico, along the Northern Karst zone in the municipality of Isabela and municipality of Quebradillas, and is near

Camuy Camuy () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Lares and San Sebastián; east of Quebradillas; and west of Hatillo. Camuy is spread over 12 barrios and Camuy Pueblo (the downtown area and the admini ...

and

San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...

. The forest is renowned for its ecological diversity, the

mogotes Mogotes () is a town and municipality in the Santander Department, in northeastern Colombia. References {{Santander-geo-stub Municipalities of Santander Department ...

and karstic formations, and its numerous caves and canyons. It also has the largest trail system of any Puerto Rican state forest.

Geography

Guajataca State Forest is located in the middle of the karst landscape country, particularly the Northern Karst zone of Puerto Rico. A karst is a topographical zone formed by the dissolution of soluble porous rocks, in this case

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, with features such as

mogotes Mogotes () is a town and municipality in the Santander Department, in northeastern Colombia. References {{Santander-geo-stub Municipalities of Santander Department ...

, canyons,

caves A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

, sinkholes, streams and rivers, all of which are common on this region of the island.

Climate

The forest has an average annual precipitation of 75 inches of rain a year. The average temperature is 76.5º F and the highest temperatures are usually reported during the months of July and August.

Geology

The soil of the forest is formed by limestone outcrops typical of tropical karst zones characterized by mogotes separated by geological sinks. The Forest of Guajataca lies in the girdle tertiary limestone of northwestern Puerto Rico. The Aymamón and Aguada limestone zones are found within the forest. The Aymamón limestone is characterized by sub-conical hills called

mogotes Mogotes () is a town and municipality in the Santander Department, in northeastern Colombia. References {{Santander-geo-stub Municipalities of Santander Department ...

while the Aguada limestone is characterized by its

History

The forest preserve dates to 1943 when the

Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration The Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration (PRRA) was one of the alphabet agencies of the New Deal established by the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Created on May 28, 1935, the PRRA's first directors included America ...

set the area aside for the purpose of preserving the flora and fauna of the karstic region. The forest was included in the 1975 proclamation of Law 133 which adds further protection to the forests in the state forest system. The forest is now managed by the

Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER) is the executive department of the government of Puerto Rico tasked with protecting, conserving, developing, and managing the natural and environmental resources in Puert ...

(DRNA).

Ecology

The vegetation of the forest is split into two zones: the montane vegetation found in the mogotes and steepest parts of the forest (76% of the forest area) and the lowland vegetation found along the valleys and flatter areas (24% of the forest area).

Flora

There are more than 186 tree species found in the forest, out of which 156 are native, 7 are introduced and 40 are endemic to Puerto Rico. Some of the endemic tree species are the ''ceboruquillo'' (''

Thouinia striata ''Thouinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae. The genus is named for André Thouin, a French botanist.Hieronyma clusioides ''Hieronyma clusioides'' is a species of plant in the family Phyllanthaceae, which was recently separated from the Euphorbiaceae. It is endemic to Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Comm ...

''). Other common species of forest are the bullet tree (''

Terminalia buceras ''Terminalia buceras'' is a tree in the Combretaceae family. It is known by a variety of names in English, including bullet tree, black olive tree, gregorywood (or gregory wood), Antigua whitewood, and oxhorn bucida. It is native to Mexico, Cent ...

''), the Spanish elm (''

Cordia alliodora ''Cordia alliodora'' is a species of flowering tree in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that is native to the American tropics. It is commonly known as Spanish elm, Ecuador laurel, cypre or salmwood. It can reach 35 m in height. Uses ''Cordia a ...

'') and the white indigo berry (''

Randia aculeata ''Randia aculeata'', commonly known as white indigoberry or white indigo berry, is a species in the Rubiaceae. It is a shrub or small tree that grows from 2 to 6 m tall. ''R. aculeata'' is native to Florida, Bermuda, the Bahamas, elsewhere a ...

'').

Fauna

Due to the large number of caves found in the karstic areas, the forest is home to numerous bat species, most notably the Jamaican fruit bat ( ''Artibeus jamaicensis'') which is very common in the region. The endangered Puerto Rican boa ('' Epicrates inornatus'') is also found in the forest. There are more than 70 bird species, out of which 26 are native, 26 are migratory and 12 are endemic to the island. Some of the most common endemic species are the Puerto Rican woodpecker ( ''Melanerpes portoricencis''), the Puerto Rican tody (''

Todus mexicanus The Puerto Rican tody (''Todus mexicanus'') is a bird Endemism in birds, endemic to Puerto Rico. It is locally known in Puerto Rican Spanish, Spanish as "San Pedrito" ("little Saint Peter") and "medio peso" ("half-dollar bird"). Taxonomy Todie ...

''), the Puerto Rican screech owl ( ''Otus nudipes''), the Puerto Rican vireo ( ''Vireo latimeri''), the Puerto Rican flycatcher ( ''Myiarchus antillarum''), the Puerto Rican bullfinch ('' Loxigilla portoricensis''), the Puerto Rican spindalis ( ''Spindalis portoricensis'') and Adelaide's warbler ( ''Setophaga adelaidae'').

Cueva del Viento

The Cueva del Viento or Cave of the Wind is a cave found within the forest that is often considered the highlight of the reserve for visitors. The entrance to the cave is down 40 steps and strong flashlights are required to visit as the cave has no lighting installed due to the presence of cavern wildlife. The cave is often muddy and slippery due to the frequent rain and waters that flows through the karstic zone and even if there are hand railings through the cave visitors must be cautious about where they walk. Although the entrance area of the cave has been broken-off by past visitors it still contains numerous interesting geological formations including

stalagmites A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...

and

stalactites A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...

. The caverns are home to numerous bat species and bat colonies so visitors must be cautious not to disturb them while visiting the cave.

Recreation

The forest is located about 2 hours from

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

and about 1 hour from Rincón. It can be accessed through PR-446 highway in Isabela. In addition to Cueva de Viento the forest has the infrastructure for camping, picnics and more than 44 km of hiking trails. Camping in the forest is $4 a night for adults and $2 a night for children, and camping spaces must be reserved in advance through the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources. There is no admission fee for visiting or hiking in the forest.

Hiking

Guajataca Forest contains the largest trail system of any forest in Puerto Rico, including El Yunque National Forest. Most of the trails begin by the ranger station, which also hosts an information center although it is not always open and it is recommended to call the rangers' office beforehand. The most popular hike is the 1.5-mile Interpretative Trail (Spanish: ''Vereda Interpretativa'') which leads to an observation tower that offer some of the best views of the karstic countryside. Trail #1 starts off the Interpretative Trail and leads to the Cueva de Viento, the park's most popular feature.

Guajataca Lake

Guajataca Lake Guajataca Lake, or Lago Guajataca, is a reservoir of the Guajataca River created by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority in 1929. It is located between the municipalities of San Sebastián, Quebradillas, and Isabela in Puerto Rico, and re ...

is a reservoir of the

Guajataca River Guajataca River ( es, Río Guajataca) is a river in Lares, Puerto Rico. It is located on the northwest coast of the island. It flows from the south and drains into the Atlantic Ocean. The name was given by the original Taino inhabitants prior to ...

located in close proximity to the forest. The lake is located in the boundary between the municipalities of Isabela, Quebradillas and

. The camping areas and fishing facilities found by the lake are often confused with the Guajataca State Forest or incorrectly associated with it even if they are outside of the forest boundaries. The lake area is nonetheless a very popular camping, kayaking and fishing spot in the region and some of its facilities are also managed by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.

References

{{Protected areas of Puerto Rico Tourist attractions in Puerto Rico Puerto Rico state forests Isabela, Puerto Rico Karst caves 1943 establishments in Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration Protected areas established in 1943

Geography

Climate

Geology

History

Ecology

Flora

Fauna

Cueva del Viento

Recreation

Hiking

Guajataca Lake

See also

References