A packed Noble Hall of the Insular Palace – filled with family, friends, colleagues, as well as numerous politicians, whether currently in office or not, and other authorities – was the setting yesterday for the homage by the Tenerife Island Council to two locals who have been characterized throughout their long personal and professional careers by their commitment to the environment and biodiversity of their island, with the Teide National Park as the cornerstone and focus of their efforts: Wolfredo Wildpret de la Torre (S/C de Tenerife, 1933) and Isidoro Sánchez García (La Orotava, 1942).
Wolfredo and Isidoro, Isidoro and Wolfredo, were the main protagonists of the event organized on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Teide National Park. They received the love and greetings from everyone, but they were the subjects and objects of this tribute, which is also being given to them while they are alive. A detail worth noting.
In 1954, when Teide was declared a national park, Isidoro was 12 years old and Wolfredo was a 21-year-old youth. But both already professed a love, almost a passion, for Las Cañadas and its entire surroundings.
Honouring our top science figures / José Domingo Méndez
The event was attended by the President of the Tenerife Island Council, Rosa Dávila; the Vice President, Lope Afonso; the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo; and the Mayor of La Orotava, Francisco Linares.
Rosa Dávila stated that “it is a very special day for Tenerife and for Canary Islands because, with the focus on the Teide – a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007 – we pay a well-deserved tribute to two exceptional figures who have dedicated their lives to the defense, conservation, study and dissemination of our natural resources. They are true ambassadors of our landscapes in the world and guardians of our biodiversity.” Dávila highlighted their roles as National Park conservator and esteemed botanist.
Fernando Clavijo highlighted both figures “since meteorology, geology, biology, botany, geography, astronomy, and vulcanology are sciences that cannot be understood without the Teide”.
Honouring our top science figures / José Domingo Méndez
The Mayor of La Orotava, Francisco Linares, spoke on behalf of all the municipalities bordering the park. He thanked, among other things, the work done by Sánchez and Wildpret, “two intellectuals, noblemen, and proud Tenerife natives”.
On the other hand, the Vice President of the Council, Lope Afonso, stated that “they are two eminent figures of the island. It is a just tribute that, if possible, further enhances the name of the Teide and Tenerife”.
Videos were shown during the event featuring images and words from Sánchez and Wildpret. The former recalled his deep connection with the Teide from the age of 12 when he would look out the window of his grandfather’s house and see it. He captured it in a phrase: “The distance from Earth to the sky is the same as from La Orotava to the Teide”.
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Wildpret mentioned that “in the Teide, I am in another world. I have been a member of the Board for over 50 years, and it is a source of pride. It has given me great satisfactions and concerns, and it always energizes me to visit it”.
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