Barrientos Island (Aitcho Islands) ANTARCTIC TREATY King George Is. Barrientos Island visitor site guide Ferraz Station Turret Point (Aitcho Islands) Admiralty Bay Elephant Is. Maxwell Bay Penguin Island 62˚24’S, 59˚47’W - North entrance to English Strait Marsh/frei Stations Great Wall Station between Robert and Greenwich Islands. Bellingshausen Station Arctowski Station Artigas Station Jubany Station King Sejong Station Potter Cove Key features AITCHO Nelson Is. ISLANDRobert Is. - Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins S Mitchell Cove - Southern Elephant Seals Greenwich Is. Robert Point - Geological features Fort Point Half Moon Is. Yankee Harbour - Southern Giant Petrels Livingston Is. - Vegetation Hannah Point Bransfield Strait Snow Is. Telefon Bay Pendulum Cove Gourdin Is. Deception Is. Baily Head Description Vapour Col Cape Whaler's Bay Dubouzet B. O'higgins Station TOPOGRAPHY This 1.5km island’s north coast is dominated by steep cliffs, reaching a height of approximatelyAstr 70olabe Cape Hope metres, with a gentle slope down to the south coast. The eastern and western ends of the island Island are Legoupil Bay black sand and cobbled beaches. Columnar basalt outcrops are a notable feature of the western end. a insul FAUNA Confirmed breeders: Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua), chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica), Pen inity southern giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus), kelp gull (LarusNorthwest dominicanus (Nw)), and skuas (Catharacta spp.). Tr Suspected breeders: Blue-eyed shag (Phalacrocorax atricepsSubar) andea Wilson’s storm-petrel (OceanitesBone Bay Tower Is. oceanicus). Regularly haul out: Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii), southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), and from late December, Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus Trgazellainity Is. ). Charcot Bay FLORA The entire centre of the island is covered by a very extensive moss carpet. Lichens Xanthoria spp., Caloplaca spp. and other crustose lichen species are present. The green alga Prasiola crispa is widespread. Mikklesen Harbor Visitor Impact KNOWN IMPACTS The erosion of multiple footpaths through vegetation between the eastern and western ends of the island. POTENTIAL IMPACTS Further damage to the vegetation and disturbance of wildlife, particularly southern giant petrels. Landing Requirements SHIPS* Ships carrying 200 or fewer passengers. One ship at a time. Maximum 2 ships per day (midnight to midnight). VISITORS No more than 100 visitors ashore at any time, exclusive of expedition guides and leaders. 1 guide per 20 visitors. No visitors ashore between 22:00hrs and 04:00hrs (local time). This is in order to establish a resting period for the wildlife. Visitor Area LANDING AREA Primary: eastern end of the island; landing either on the sand beach to the north, or on the cobbled southern beach. Secondary: northern shore of the western end of the island, with easiest access at high water. CLOSED AREAS Closed Area A: Monitoring sites for chinstrap penguins above and southeast of the eastern landing area. Closed Area B: Central part of the island covered by a very extensive moss carpet (with the exception of the designated walking route) and the northern cliffs where southern giant petrels nest. Closed Area C: Knoll on the southwestern tip of the island where southern giant petrels nest. GUIDED WALKING AREAS Only walk through Closed Area B if you can clearly recognise the designated route, which runs over the rocks along the shoreline at the eastern end, and along a narrow gravel stream bed through the vegetation. This route should only be used by closely guided groups of no more than 10 visitors. Only one group should follow the stream bed at a time, taking extreme care not to trample the edges of the vegetation. FREE ROAMING AREAS Visitors can roam freely, but under supervision, anywhere except the closed or guided walking areas. * A ship is defined as a vessel which carries more than 12 passengers. Barrientos Island (Aitcho Islands) ANTARCTIC TREATY Barrientos Island visitor site guide (Aitcho Islands) 62˚24’S, 59˚47’W - North entrance to English Strait between Robert and Greenwich Islands. Visitor Code of Conduct BEHAVIOUR ASHORE Walk slowly and carefully. Maintain a precautionary distance of 5 metres from wildlife and give animals the right-of-way. Increase this distance if any change in behaviour is observed. When on the same level as, or higher than, nesting southern giant petrels maintain a precautionary distance of at least 50 metres. Increase this distance if any change in the birds’ behaviour is observed. Be careful near Antarctic fur seals, they may be aggressive. Do not walk on any vegetation. CAUTIONARY NOTES Stay clear of cliffs and vertical walls and stacks as these are prone to rock falls and slides. Barrientos Island western landing area Barrientos Island eastern landing area Only walk through Closed Area B if you can clearly recognise the route The centre of Barrientos Island is covered by a very extensive moss carpet BARRIENTOS ISLAND Closed Area Blue eyed shags in the vicinity of the balsatic dyke (NE Petermann Island) (Western end) Western end (Eastern end) B Eastern end 0.75 kilometres Gentoo penguins Closed areas Melt lake (variable) B Gentoo penguins So. giant petrels x Antarctic Site Inventory Chinstrap penguins photodocumentation stakes So. elephant seals (common wallow area) Moss Approx. location of designated Moss coastline and streambed route B in Closed Area B A Closed area SECONDARY LANDING AREA x Antarctic Site Inventory stake x N 0 N PRIMARY x 0 LANDING 40 metres B AREA Contour intervals = 5 metres x 125 metres x Contour interval = 20 metres A x C A Western end .