MARCH 17, 2026 MEETING: The Hunt for Copiapoa

Our first meeting of 2026 sported 15 members, including a couple first timers. After the opening reports from our President (where Dirk informed us that Morgan is now the youngest member to achieve Honorary Membership status, having been an active member for 25 years since he was 14!) and Treasurer came an amazing and in-depth presentation led by Alex. He shared with us his November 2023 trip to Northern Chile where he connected with Diego, his guide and the founder of Kamanchaka Ecotour—a company dedicated to education, conservation, and responsible access to minimize impact while maximizing learning through Taltal Sustainable.

Alex’s multi-day trip consisted of visiting the Atacama Desert, Taltal, Costa Norte (North Coast), Paposo, Pan de Azucar National park, and Llanos de Challe National Park. Alex and his partner, Pauline, spent a total of 10 hours with Diego searching for a genus of flowering cactus known as Copiapoa.

The Copiapoa and its many variants (approximately 32-35 recognized species) can only be found in Northern Chile. This is in part due to the Atacama Desert’s coastal fog which is so specific to this region’s climate and weather patterns. Even the slightest change in climate fostered a completely different species of Copiapoa. Some could be found in large clusters while others love growing solo as they all reach for the sun in the same direction. Then there were those closer to the cliffs found tucked between rocks! As a slow growing cactus, it was clear how old many of the Copiapoa shown to Alex and Pauline were and why Diego and Kamanchaka Ecotour aim to protect these endemic plants of Northern Chile.

And with each new variant of Copiapoa that Alex shared with us… Well, see for yourself! Pictures speak louder than words and Alex’s smile shines as big as a patch of clustered Copiapoa Longistaminea!

You can watch the recording of Alex’s presentation here on our YouTube channel.