Based on a press release by the Municipality of Río Grande.
Gustavo Melella is the mayor of Río Grande, Argentina, a city on the north coast of the province of Tierra del Fuego. Earlier this month, as Río Grande celebrated its 97th anniversary, he presented the “Red Knot Awards” to his city’s inspiring organizations, distinguished individuals, and outstanding students. This recognition highlights the achievements of remarkable riograndenses (the demonym for those from Río Grande) that embody the values of the local community in the arts, sports, social work, science, health, and education.
In Argentina, the Red Knot is known as “Playero rojizo,” and riograndenses know that the prize’s namesake is a symbol of perseverance, resilience, and awe-inspiring feats of endurance. On December 11th, 1992, a Provincial Decree in Río Grande created the Reserva Costa Atlántica de Tierra del Fuego – the reserve just north of the city, in Bahía San Sebastian, meant to protect and conserve the populations of migratory shorebirds that arrive to the area every year after breeding in Arctic Canada. In the same year, Reserva Costa Atlántica was officially declared a WHSRN Site of Hemispheric Importance, for providing critically important stopover and wintering habitat to species such as Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa Haemastica), White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis), and of course “Playero rojizo” — the threatened rufa subspecies of Red Knot (Calidris canutus).
Photo: Tabaré Barreto.
As he presented the awards, Mayor Melella highlighted the commitment and sacrifice of the people and organizations that work day after day for the growth of their city, and explained the significance of the Red Knot. “It is the symbol of strength and sacrifice,” he said, “because it travels thousands of kilometers – through strong winds, and over open ocean – to get to our coasts. Every one of us has challenges in life, and sometimes the wind is blowing against us and sometimes it is at our backs. But hope wins when we fight to try and reach our dreams.”
Every year, the Red Knot connects the northern and southern hemispheres as it makes its way from breeding grounds in the Arctic to the island of Tierra del Fuego. It relies on these coast at the “end of the earth” to rest and feed each winter, as much in Argentina as in Chile. The Municipality of Río Grande presented the Red Knot Awards to those that symbolize the tenacity, the hard work, the struggle, and the self-determination that this bird represents.
For more information about the awards, please contact Tabaré Barreto, manager of the interpretation center at the Reserva Costa Atlántica de Tierra del Fuego, at tabareluis@uolsinectis.com.ar
