Textbooks for Ngobe Schools

On August 21st. we picked up and sent out over 50 donated textbooks in Spanish, some calculators, and crayons to the Ngobe community school at Cayo de Aqua. Camille Rizzo delivered the books to the community Representative and received a warm welcome as a new island property owner. We additionally have about 40 more textbooks for the school at Salt Creek on Isla Bastimentos, which will go out next week. All textbooks and school supplies are welcomed as monies for these are very limited.

Installation of water filtration in Ngobe Community

On August 19th we installed our first "slow sand filtration" unit in the Ngobe community of Bahia Honda on Isla Bastimentos. College volunteers Madison Busker of Emory University, Michelle Quan of the University of California at San Diego, and volunteer Mike Swigert, assisted in the creation and installation of the unit. The community is in an area where there are no wells. Their drinking water comes from small streams on adjacent properties and captured rain water. Rain water alone does not meet their needs, due to its seasonality and their lack of adequate storage devices. Ground water is typically contaminated at the source or after collection through the use of contaminated containers or hand contact. Water borne disease affects most community members with its greatest toll on the young and the old (which sometimes die). Believing that "the simplest system is the best system", we chose the slow sand flirtation method based on a recommendation by Eric Nyman of Greenlines, Inc. Slow sand filtration is a very simple system which has been in use for hundreds of years. This unit utilized a 70 gal. water tank and was fitted with PVC piping to provide a bottom output of filtered water. The water is poured into the top and passes down through 4 inches of fine sand, 30 inches of medium grade sand, and a bottom 3 inch layer of pea gravel. A fine plastic mesh was laid over the upper level to capture large trash from the water to be filtered. This can be taken out and shook off as required. Water initially added to the system stands for 2-3 days (not used) and creates its own set of bacteria on the surfaces and spaces between the sand and rock. After the 3 days, any additional water must pass through these bacterially active layers and it has been reported through laboratory tests that up 98% of the harmful bacteria are removed. Engineers without Borders have found units still in operation after 4 years with only minor maintenance required. We gathered biographical data of the families to use the unit and established a follow-up schedule to monitor their health progress. At the installation we noted some design changes which could improve the unit. For example, a cover over the outflow to prevent children and animals from making contact with this area and contaminating it would be very beneficial.

Soluciones Biotecnologicas Tropicales presents at the Smithsonian Environmental Fair

SBT was invited to present at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Environmental Fair again this year on June 13th and 14th. We were excited to have some amazing news to share at this fair, in which recycling was the main topic. We spoke with Dr. Michael Willinsky over a year ago about our need for a solution to the plastic trash problems in Bocas and all of Panama. He has been working on a process to use all plastics in a recycling process he has patented. He called right before the fair to inform me he has a working plant in operation in Quebec. The amazing part is that the plant can utilize all plastics (not just selected plastics like all other processes). These recycled plastics require only 1/5 the energy cost of creating new plastics, saves on land filling plastics, can be utilized to mold any new plastic product, absorbs and traps greenhouse gases like carbon, makes money, and is environmentally friendly. Unbelievable! This news was very well received at the fair and I hope to have Dr. Willinsky provide a prospectus for me to present to the Mayor of Panama for consideration.

SBT Founder gives Three Talks at the University of West Florida

On April 16 & 18 I gave three speeches in Pensacola and Ft. Walton, Florida, which were based on my life experiences and my foundation in Panama. The Talks were for the Pensacola Historic Society:" An Environmental History of Bocas del Toro", the Biology Series at UWF: "A UWF Marine Scientist Discovers Panama", and the UWF College Series: "Life after College; Challenges in a Developing Third World Country". The turnouts were moderate, but a lot of interest in Panama was generated. Previously, UWF student trips had only been to Belize, Costa Rica, and Honduras, now Panama will be a new destination.

While at the university, I had a meeting with the university President (a Marine Archeologist) and discussed possibilities for developing an exchange student program and a Bocas extension center. Also, the Head of the Environmental Studies Department has began the development of a new semester course studying NGO's (non-government/non-profit organizations) functions. SBT will be involved in providing the student's primary research topics. This may lead into a scheduled study abroad program as well. All in all, it was a very successful trip and I was happy to give a little something back to my university.

Project Educacion Si Update

Educacion Si is a plan to create and utilize an e-education concept to connect all schools in Panama to a centralized electronic library. No matter how remote they would be connected. This e-library would contain educational materials, specific Indigenous cultural videos, and video lectures by Panamanian experts in all fields. Each school would receive these streaming videos via broadband wireless Internet.

The Scientific Coordinator for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) recently arranged for me to have a meeting at STRI with the Minister of Technical Environmental Education for Panama, Senora Otilia Arroya. We discussed the lack of educational materials in the main schools and especially in the more remote outer island and mountain schools. These remote schools are primarily Indigenous Ngobe, Bugle, and Naso peoples, and just having enough updated textbooks is difficult to achieve. The thought of a library or computers for these schools is not in the current realm of reality for the educational system.

Senora Arroya's special area of concern is the lack of environmental conservation education. We discussed how this project could change all of that by providing a wide range of youth-engaging educational programs, which could be tailored to specific regions. After having reviewed the Educacion Si concept and the steps we (SBT) had already taken to promote this project, she asked for a full project package and promised she would present it to the Minister of Education. We are waiting for her reply.

Related to this post, we have found a U.S. based organization that can supply us with refurbished computers for $25 each. We have also stayed in contact with Intel (who is the technical backbone of this concept) and hope to provide a contact with the Panamanian government soon.

Don King to become U.S. Embassy Deputy Warden for Bocas

I've been appointed a Deputy Warden by the U.S. Embassy for the Province of Bocas del Toro. It is a fancy way of saying a liaison to disseminate information during times of crisis from the embassy to U.S. Citizens living in the area, and vice versa. Embassies are generally only located in capital cities (although there were three embassies here at the turn of the century). Many embassy's have a person in each community where a certain number of their countries citizens live or vacation, to provide a source point to insure the protection of their lives and property. Bocas has a new Warden who nominated me for this position. We have scheduled to work on the creation of an emergency action plan for Bocas Town and surrounding areas. This plan would not only aid U.S. citizens, but everyone. A primary part of this plan will be to establish a communication system between remote locations.

Storm Relief for the Indigenous Community at Salt Creek

Flood relief to Salt Creek Ngobe Community

On December 6th. we delivered supplies bought with donations from Bocas expats and local residents to the Indigenous Ngobe community of Salt Creek on Isla Bastimentos (35 minutes by boat from Bocas Town). A letter from the village leader with a list of the families in need had been sent to us several days before. Supplies of food, clothing, and sanitary items were distributed to 27 families there.

Although the heavy rains have ended, many of the Indigenous families may still need some assistance. Most of the people derive very little income from tourism in Bocas. A few do catch and sell sea food to the Bocas Town markets and restaurants or lumber to builders, but most of the island Ngobe are farmers and fishermen. They still work on a barter system of a farmer trading his produce for fish and vice versa. The heavy downpours and strong winds of this storm front destroyed many of the food crops, which are often grown in the less desirable areas for homes, the lowlands (which are unfortunately the most prone to flooding).

With no crops to trade the system of barter broke down. The farmer cannot trade for fish and the fisherman cannot trade or sell his fish locally. Many Indigenous cannot afford to come to town with produce or fish either. Gasoline prices have been fluctuating between $4.30 to $2.85 a gallon, while an average wage is about $10-$12 per day, if they are working. A trip by canoe could take half a day each way depending on the community's location. We do not know how long it will take to get crops growing again and the system back up and running, at least to the level it was already at, but we will monitor this and have a better idea for the future.

We are gathering information on the issues each community is facing as we deliver supplies. Those with pressing medical needs will be addressed as a Priority. Otherwise, we will not be able to return often as fuel and supplies are limited and there are other communities with the same needs. This information will help us with preparations for any future events. During the worse days of the storm there was often no communication with these communities, even when we had cellular service in Bocas Town. We need to look for an emergency communication system to create a network for the future. A system which is independent of cellular service, robust, and easy to use, perhaps the old style short way radio is the answer.