SBT students visit the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

On October 17th, 10 students and one teacher of the Soluciones Biotecnologicas Tropicales (SBT) school visited the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) located in Bocas. A STRI educator provided written materials to the students for animal identification and marine turtle ecology. The students were extremely interested in the marine aquariums and the various marine lifeforms in each. Although they had all seen these creatures before, they had never really had anyone tell them about each creatures special adaptions and symbiotic relationships. Some for the first time realized that sponges were living animals.

All of the students displayed not only a keen interest in the exhibits, but also in other activities of STRI, like recycling. One of the students asked if they could start a recycling program in the Indian village of Salt Creek? The STRI educator volunteered to assist them in getting this started. I am starting a recycling program at the school, so this fits in nicely. By observing the students I saw the interest of several of them to further their knowledge in regards to the ecology and environment of the world they live in. We will now need to foster this to retain the motivation that may lead them to be the environmental leaders of tomorrow with their people.

As their population increases and subsequently the pressures on the environment, they will need to understand the complexity of their world if they are live in it sustainably. Today we made a giant step towards that goal. There is much work to be done.

We also visited the IPAT Bocas museum before we returned to Salt Creek. This was also a first for the students. Although they had been to Bocas many times, they had never visited the museum. They were particularly interested in the full color photographs of local wildlife and the old photos of Bocas town.

Bocas Fact Sheets Go Live

My real estate company regularly provides information on "Best Practice" ideas for living in Bocas and the tropics in general. Often times, the same questions would arise over and over. So in May, 2007, Soluciones Biotecnologicas Tropicales started the first of series of what we call "Bocas Fact Sheets". These one page sheets are intended to provide information to both expats relocating to Bocas and to the general population, so they are written in Spanish and English. Bocas has many areas with mangrove coastlines. For many reasons the land owners wish to remove the mangroves. This sheet was meant to give them information regarding the laws concerning and ecological purpose of mangroves. This Fact Sheet was also published in the June, 2007 issue of the local newspaper, The Bocas Breeze. This sheet was made possible by a SBT volunteer, Vicki Grafentin. We will continue with additional sheets on various subjects of importance. The Fact Sheet text (minus the photos and the Spanish portion) is given below.

Mangroves in bocas del toro Fact Sheet

The Law:
All mangroves in Panama are considered to be owned by the state.

Mangroves are government owned and protected because they are a part of the tidal coastlines.

Property owners have the right to clear an access path to their property through the mangroves.

It is an environmental crime, however, punishable by fines and imprisonment, to remove, destroy or trim more mangrove than is necessary as determined by ANAM.

The Ecology:
Coral reefs depend on the presence of the mangroves for their survival. The water clarity required by coral is provided by the filtration system of the mangroves.

Mangrove systems create land mass and desalinate the land.

The mangroves’ extensive root systems protect the coastlines from flooding, storm damage, and erosion.

The mangrove ecosystem provides the nursery for most fish species, shrimp, lobster and other shellfish.

The mangrove swamp is a fragile ecosystem easily disturbed by excessive and unnecessary interference.

Produced by SBT (Soluciones Biotecnologicas Tropicales) www.solareef.com. Other info http://www.anam.gob.pa/ Autoridad Nacionaldel Ambiente (ANAM)
Sources:World Wildlife Fund/National Geographic Society www.worldwildlife.org , The Nature Conservancy

Conseravtion and the Smithsonian Research Center

On September 13th, 2007, I met with the Scientific Coordinator for the Bocas del Toro Smithsonian Research Station (STRI) Gabriel Cespedes, to discuss conservation education in Bocas. We all agreed that there is not enough education especially in the areas outside of Bocas Town. We agreed with the expansion of the national park more people will come into conflict with the new rules and restrictions. We need to try and make this change less traumatic if possible through information. The station has a conservation educator (Marlon) on site who conducts classes at the station and at the local school. They also have educational materials compiled by visiting professors for student use. The issue is to get the educator and the materials to the students. As the population of Bocas increases due to a real estate boom and the indigenous populations lower infant mortality rate, the strain on the environment will be exacerbated. Education of both the local population and the expats is essential. We agreed that that the educator should try to reach the schools outside of the station and the town, while we should also utilize the local newspaper to reach the expats. I also agreed to locate these other schools and the expats who live near them and to ask if they would like to join us in this endeavor. I believe many of the expats already contribute to these schools. We need these expats to provide both communication with the schools to schedule visits and to provide transportation for the educator. Gabriel suggested we form a committee here in Bocas and continue to work on this issue. We will schedule another meeting to follow up on our findings and furhter discuss the idea of a committee.

Volunteer Dentists visit Salt Creek Village

On August 28th, 2007 we organized the visit of a children's dentist and hygienist to the Ngobe village of Salt Creek. The Mandeville's originally contacted us though information they found about SBT on the web and graciously volunteered to help us. I suggested a visit to Salt Creek village. At the village they met with about 15-20 children. They conducted a class on proper dental hygiene, passed out basic dental supplies, and conducted a preliminary dental screening of the children. They found that every child had severe dental problems (cavities and abscesses) and that more intensive dental work would be required. We are now working on their return visit with possibly a portable dental room. They will provide all the dental extractions, fillings, and other necessary procedures to alleviate the immediate problems and continue to distribute toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss. The Mandeville's are also communicating with other medical personnel who they think may accompany them on the next trip. I appaud them for their selfless efforts and continued dental support.

Students visit the local turtle research station

As part of our core belief that all Bocas residents need more exposure to conservation, the students of the SBT Learning Center walked two hours on May 18th, 2007, to visit the sea turtle research station on Playa Larga, Isla Bastimentos. The station is staffed at diffefent times by graduate students, professors, and volunteers and is funded by the Caribbean Conservation Corp (CCC). The students were given a basic overview of the types of turtles utilizing the beach, background on their mating and nesting habits, the main reasons for their decline, and what each student could do to prevent this. The researcher demonstrated how they locate and measure nest sites, tag female turtles, and create records of egg clutches and species sightings. One of my students works for the turtle station. We have asked the station if we can assist them next season as a school project.