Misplaced Pages

#225774

40-808: The size of the Macal River catchment basin is approximately 1,492 square kilometers. The Macal River rises in a rugged portion of the Maya Mountains and flows in a northerly direction where it joins with the Mopan River to form the Belize River. Lying to the east of the Macal River Basin is the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary , the premier sanctuary established specifically for conservation of

80-746: A 95% interest in Belize Electric Co. Ltd. The Belize Association of Non-Government Organisations took Fortis to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 2003 to have a new environmental assessment of the Chalillo Dam on the Macal River which was a hydroelectricity development project. Ecologists were concerned over the future of species such as the scarlet macaw , the tapir and the black howler monkey as

120-562: A Department of Forestry, with Cornelius Hummel as inaugural conservator or permanent secretary, and the 1924, 1926, 1927, 1935, 1944, and 1945 passages of legislative protections for flora and fauna. Significantly, Silk Grass and Mountain Pine Ridge were gazetted as forest reserves in 1920, making these Belize's earliest non-archaeological protected areas. The earliest conservation efforts in Guatemala are thought to have been

160-580: A north-easterly trending structural uplift of Palaeozoic bedrock, constitute a geologic or physiographic province in the Maya Block of the North American Plate . The province is bounded by the seismically inactive Northern and Southern Boundary Faults. The Mountains' orogen mainly consists of metamorphosed late Carboniferous to middle Permian volcanic-sedimentary rocks overlying late Silurian granites. The Mountains' basement

200-587: A number of important Mayan ruins including the sites of Lubaantun , Nim Li Punit , Cahal Pech and Chaa Creek . The earliest public conservation-like efforts in Belize are thought to have been geared towards regulating mahogany logging, via a 28 October 1817 proclamation vesting unclaimed lands in the Crown. The measure quickly proved futile however, as by 17 April 1835 Belize's Superintendent would note that 'no regulation or restriction has prevailed respecting

240-560: A replica working Mayan farm and a morpho butterfly preserve as well as a small Mayan museum in the lower watershed on the western side of the Macal River. 17°10′30″N 89°04′50″W  /  17.1750°N 89.0806°W  / 17.1750; -89.0806 Maya Mountains The Maya Mountains are a mountain range located in Belize and eastern Guatemala , in Central America . The Maya Mountains were known as

280-493: A result of this acquisition, Fortis became one of Alberta's major regulated electrical distribution companies, serving 415,000 Albertans in 2005. ATCO Electric is Alberta's other regulated distribution company. Also as a result of the 2003 acquisition, Fortis owns regulated generation, transmission, and distribution assets in British Columbia. In 2007, Fortis acquired Terasen Gas from Kinder Morgan , which had sold

320-557: A substantial tract of the Chiquibul Forest Reserve and National Park The watershed consists of closed canopy upland forests as well as a fertile floodplain, which is often overgrown with dense jungle vegetation trailing into the verges of the river itself. Considerable biodiversity is found within the Macal River catchment basin, including megafauna , avafauna , fish, reptiles , amphibians , as well as smaller mammals , arthropods and plants. The Macal watershed

360-616: Is habitat to over a dozen rare and endangered species . Two Important threatened megafauna found here are the jaguar, Panthera onca , and Belize's largest land animal, Baird's tapir , Tapirus bairdii , which is also the national animal of Belize. There is abundant birdlife in the Macal Basin; for example, in the Mountain Pine Ridge sub-watershed alone are found: the rufous-capped warbler , crossbill , pine siskin and eastern bluebird . Between autumn and spring,

400-410: Is divided into two sub catchment basins. The headwaters and upper basin comprise about 1000 square kilometers and rest in the southern Maya Mountains, whilst the lower basin is known as the Mountain Pine Ridge catchment. The soils in the upper watershed tend to be shallow and rocky, leading to rapid runoff. All of the upper catchment tributaries join the mainstem channel considerably before Guacamayo,

440-493: Is sub-aerially exposed in four extremes of the mountain range. The exposed portions in the northwestern, northeastern, and southeastern points of the range are predominantly composed of intermediate-to-silicic Palaeozoic plutons, with exposed portions in the southern point of the range predominated by Palaeozoic volcanic rocks. The geologic evolution of the exposed portions of the Mountains' basement has been deemed 'one of

SECTION 10

#1732780234226

480-490: Is within the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve , a national Park of Belize. In addition to hiking trails into the wilderness, this reach is the location of Belize's largest limestone caverns, which allow subsurface exploration by tube flotation on the clear aquifers which are illuminated by occasional vertical light shafts reaching the surface. The most extensive of these aqueous caverns is

520-512: The Cockscomb or Coxcomb Mountains to Baymen and later Belizeans at least until the mid-20th century. Their current appellation is thought to be in honour of the Mayan civilisation. The range's highest peaks are Doyle's Delight at 3,688 feet (1,124 m) and Victoria Peak at 3,680 feet (1,120 m). Nine streams with a Strahler order greater than 1 flow from the Mountains into

560-618: The Late Classic , when the region experienced major demographic growth, possibly peaking in the 8th century . In c.  830 CE, during the Classic Maya Collapse , most of the Mountains' settlements experienced demographic decline, leading to sparse settlement during the Postclassic . The mountains are mainly made of Paleozoic era granite and sediments. The Maya Mountains and associated foothills contain

600-715: The United States , Central America , and the Caribbean . In 2015, it earned CA$ 6.7 billion . Fortis was formed in 1987, when shareholders of the regulated transmission and distribution utility Newfoundland Light & Power Co. voted to form a separate holding company. NL&P shares were exchanged for Fortis shares on a one-to-one basis, with the regulated NL&P becoming a 100% owned subsidiary. The company expanded into Western Canada in 2003 with its purchase of Aquila, Inc. 's Canadian assets, formerly owned by TransAlta , Canada's largest publicly traded utility. As

640-529: The hepatic tanager and chipping sparrow are also evident. Raptors hunt among the valleys of Mountain Pine Ridge, and affords the most probable location in Belize to observe the orange-breasted falcon . The Chalillo Hydroelectric Dam was completed on the river in 2005 by Fortis Inc. , the Canadian owner of the national electrical utility, about 33 km (21 mi) south of San Ignacio , Belize. The construction generated controversy over its effect on

680-409: The jaguar . Due to the steep terrain of the headwaters region and the high rainfall of the upper Macal Basin, the Macal River is subject to rapid stage height rise, contributing significantly to the downstream flooding of the Belize River. By legend, the river is named after a beautiful young girl Macall , an uncommon name. The lower river is navigated year-around with canoes . The Macal Rivershed

720-456: The 1921 and 1945 Leyes Forestales , leading to the 1955 establishment of the country's first protected areas, the Atitlán and Rio Dulce National Parks. The earliest known exploratory expedition into the Mountains was led by captains Samuel Harrison and Valentín Delgado in 8 July – 9 August 1787  ( 1787-07-08  – 1787-08-09 ) . The captains had been commissioned by

760-536: The 1952 appointment of Alexander Hamilton Anderson as First Assistant Secretary to the Governor with responsibility for archaeological activities in the country, and the subsequent 1954 establishment of the Department of Archaeology, with Anderson as its inaugural commissioner or permanent secretary. Natural conservation likewise advanced with the 1887 Hooper and 1921 Hummel Reports, the 1922 establishment of

800-654: The BC gas utility as a non-strategic asset included in its 2005 acquisition of Terasen Inc . In addition to its regulated Canadian assets, Fortis also owns unregulated assets in Ontario, British Columbia, and Newfoundland. The majority of its unregulated business consists of hydroelectric generating plants. Fortis' interests in the Caribbean include a 67% interest in Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) and

840-407: The Belize River, and, in fact, controls the flood stage of the larger Belize River. This effect of simultaneous peak flow is further enhanced by the radial geometry of the lower Macal Basin tributaries, encouraging all sub-basin flow to reach the mainstem at approximately the same time. The Macal River winds through large expanses of primary and secondary growth broadleaf tropical forest , including

SECTION 20

#1732780234226

880-979: The Caribbean Sea, namely, five tributaries of the Belize River, two tributaries of the Monkey River, and the Sittee River and Boom Creek. Prominent karstic features within the Mountains include the Chiquibul Spring and Cave System, the Vaca Plateau, the Southern and Northern Boundary Faults, and possibly an aquifer contiguous with that of the Yucatán Peninsula. The Mountains 'are the only source of igneous and metamorphic materials' in Belize. These are exposed in three plutons, i.e. Mountain Pine Ridge, Hummingbird Ridge, and

920-661: The Cockscomb Basin. It has been recently suggested that the former was mined by stonemasons at Pacbitun for the manufacture and trade of stonetools, e.g. manos and metates . Precipitation decreases from 98 inches (2,500 mm) per annum in the northwestern extreme of the Mountains to 59 inches (1,500 mm) per annum in its southeastern extreme. Much of the Mountains is in protected areas spanning seventeen parks, reserves, sanctuaries, or monuments in southern Belize and northern Guatemala. The site, comprising several large forest, nature and archaeological reserves in

960-439: The Mountains' sedimentary rocks into Macal and Maya series or formations, but these were subsequently rejected in favour of the single Santa Rosa Group of sedimentary rocks (discovered in Guatemala in 1966). However, this consensus was upended upon the 1996 discovery of deeper granitoids which crystallisation ages 'considerably older' than known post-Devonian ages of Santa Rosa fossils. The presence of pre-Devonian sediments

1000-567: The Mountains, while Ower's survey produced what has been called 'the first geological map of the Colony [of British Honduras, including the Mountains].' [REDACTED] Media related to Maya Mountains at Wikimedia Commons Fortis Inc. Fortis Inc. is a St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador -based international diversified electric utility holding company . It operates in Canada ,

1040-507: The Rio Frio area. In the lowest reach there are a number of jungle resorts which offer access to the banks of the Macal for flotation or canoe trips to San Ignacio . Except for the peak flow periods of June to October, it is feasible to canoe upstream against the current in this reach. There are several rapids in the lower reach, but overall canoeing difficulty is only moderate. There is

1080-573: The United States. Gaz Métro offered a higher price and acquired CVPS. On February 21, 2012, CH Energy Group (a holding company for Central Hudson Gas & Electric, an upstate New York utility), announced a pending acquisition by Fortis valued at $ 1.5 billion. On June 27, 2013, Fortis Inc. closed on its acquisition of CHG. In 2013, Fortis announced its acquisition of UNS Energy , an Arizona utility company. On February 9, 2016, Fortis announced an agreement to acquire ITC Holdings Corp. ,

1120-522: The approximate join point of the two connecting sub-sheds of the Macal River. Peak flows follow the rainy season of June to August, with tailing rains until February; lowest flows are in the dry season from March to May. For the lower Macal River catchment (or Mountain Pine Ridge area), tributary streams are arranged radially to feed the mainstem; principal lower basin rivers are the Privassion, Rio On, Rio Frio, Mollejon, Chaa Creek and Cacao Camp. In

1160-661: The cutting of Wood or the occupation of Land and thus the mahogany on the extensive Tracts to the Southward of the Sibun and between the Rivers Belize & Hondo above Black Creek has been subjected to great waste and devastation.' The next step is thought to have been in 1894, with the passage of the first legislative protections for antiquities in colonial Belize, subsequently strengthened in 1897, 1924, and 1927. Archaeological conservation in Belize progressed quickly with

1200-604: The east. In contrast, the cover in the mountain range is predominated by Palaeozoic strata. The Mountains' cover in the mountain range has been recently characterised as an elevated relict landscape, i.e. an area where basement uplift has not been counterbalanced by fluvial erosion. Geologic mapping and dating of rocks in the Maya Mountains have 'led to a variety of interpretations and eventually to puzzling discrepancies between reported field relations, age of fossils, and geochronologic data.' An early 1955 study divided

1240-464: The lower catchment basin, there is considerable overland friction to surface runoff due to the dense terrestrial detrititus and understory on the forest floor, even though the forest canopy itself is sometimes sparse. The retarded runoff of this lower sub-watershed allows the rapid peak runoff of the upper watershed to overtake the flow within Mountain Pine Ridge, forming an effective single massive peak wave, which exacerbates downstream flooding in

Macal River - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-473: The most disputed aspects of Central American geology,' though it has subsequently been suggested that these formed during the late-Neogene to late-Pliocene. The Mountains' sedimentary cover blankets all of the province's foothills and plains, and all but a few portions of its mountain range. The cover in the foothills and plains is predominantly composed of Cretacaeous marine strata to the south, west, and north, but this transitions into Quaternary alluvium to

1320-481: The mountains, has been designated a 645,000 ha Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of numerous resident and passage bird species. Unauthorised farming and resource extraction by Guatemalans have been identified as a significant threats to Belize's protected areas bordering Peten. For instance, in 2008 an estimated 1,000‍–‍1,500 xateros i.e. fishtail palm foragers were operating in

1360-420: The ninth century AD, likely related to the exhaustion of agricultural resources, or reaching of the limited carrying capacity of this region of nutrient poor soils, with possible aggravation of social factors. Whilst the highest reaches of the watershed are only accessible to the most hardy of hikers, the Mountain Pine Ridge area is available to travellers by auto (not bus). Most of the recreation in this reach

1400-603: The project would flood 10 km of rainforest in Belize. Celebrities such as Harrison Ford and Cameron Diaz supported a movement to stop this dam. Fortis and the Government of Belize supported the project. On May 30, 2011, it was announced that Fortis has plans to acquire Central Vermont Public Service , an electric utility in the US state of Vermont , for US$ 700 million, pending stockholder and regulatory approval; this acquisition would be Fortis' first utility acquisition in

1440-538: The region, and by 2011 some 13,500‍–‍20,000 acres had been cleared for various agricultural activities, thereby severing the ecologically important contiguity of Belizean forests to the Guatemalan Selva Maya . Furthermore, unlicensed interlopers often hunt for sustenance during their extended incursions, leading to worrying declines in wildlife populations, such as that of the white-lipped peccary , which has been extirpated from 'was once

1480-577: The species' primary stronghold in Belize [i.e. Chiquibul].' Threats indigenous to Belize have also been identified, however, with demographic pressures deemed the most significant. The recent construction of the hydroelectric Chalillo Dam in the Mountains, for instance, 'sparked international controversy for its widespread ecological effects,' including the inundation of 2,400 acres of forested and riparian ecosystems, and exposure of downstream villages to significant pollutants in 2009 and 2011. The Mountains and their abutting foothills and plains, considered as

1520-769: The superintendent of colonial Belize, Edward Marcus Despard, and the visiting Spanish commissary, Enrique de Grimarest, to discover the source of the Sibun River, so as to ascertain the limits of the British settlement under the 1786 Convention of London. Subsequent pioneering explorations were led by Henry Fowler in 1879, C. H. Wilson in 1886, Karl Sapper in 1886‍–‍1935, J. Bellamy in 1888, L. H. Ower in 1922‍–‍1926, C. G. Dixon in 1950‍–‍1955, and J. H. Bateson and I. H. S. Hall in 1969‍–‍1970. Sapper's trips have been deemed 'the first geologic expeditions' into

1560-585: The surrounding rain forest. The lower portions of the Macal Watershed were extensively occupied by the ancient Maya . Several regional habitations are identifiable, including the Cahal Pech site and the unexcavated site at Chaa Creek . These sites were centroids for larger farming populations, and are deemed to be satellite cities that may have been under the influence of Tikal or Caracol . The Mayan urban society collapsed in this watershed in

1600-516: Was 'a matter of debate' until 'conclusively demonstrate[d]' in the affirmative in 2009. The Mountains are wedged between the easterly to northeasterly trending Corozal and Belize Basins, themselves sub-basins of the Peten‍;–‍Corozal Basin, which fully encompasses the Mountains. The Mountains are thought to have remained sparsely populated, and culturally and economically isolated, until 600‍–‍830 CE, during

#225774