Panama Canal and Barro Colorado Natural Monument
In 1912, at the time the Panama Canal was completed, Lake Gatun became the largest man-made lake in the world (164 square miles). It took almost two years for the Chagres River Valley to become the lake that we visited on this day. This lake is important for several reasons. First and foremost, it supplies the Canal with the water it needs for its functioning. It also provides the Canal with electric energy and the water for the cities of Colon and Panama. Lake Gatun is located at 85 feet above sea level making it the highest point in the Panama Canal. Most of the islands that we saw as we sailed through the lake were originally mountaintops in the Chagres River Valley. What we did not see, were the scores of villages which disappeared in the bottom as the lake emerged from the bottom of this once lush and productive valley.
Perhaps the most remarkable of all these islands is Barro Colorado and the surrounding peninsulas which now make up the Barro Colorado Island Natural Monument, a natural reserve under the care of the Smithsonian Institution containing some 400 species of birds, 102 of mammals and 1,316 plants. This tropical biology research station is known all around the world for its contributions to the understanding and conservation of tropical environments.
This morning we visited Barro Colorado Natural Monument under the guidance of the Smithsonian guides, a great introduction to a week of explorations of the natural treasures of Panama and Costa Rica. The pilot tested our patience by making us wait for him more than we expected, but finally with him on board, we completed our transit of the Panama Canal. By midnight, we were sailing in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The adventure was just about to start…
In 1912, at the time the Panama Canal was completed, Lake Gatun became the largest man-made lake in the world (164 square miles). It took almost two years for the Chagres River Valley to become the lake that we visited on this day. This lake is important for several reasons. First and foremost, it supplies the Canal with the water it needs for its functioning. It also provides the Canal with electric energy and the water for the cities of Colon and Panama. Lake Gatun is located at 85 feet above sea level making it the highest point in the Panama Canal. Most of the islands that we saw as we sailed through the lake were originally mountaintops in the Chagres River Valley. What we did not see, were the scores of villages which disappeared in the bottom as the lake emerged from the bottom of this once lush and productive valley.
Perhaps the most remarkable of all these islands is Barro Colorado and the surrounding peninsulas which now make up the Barro Colorado Island Natural Monument, a natural reserve under the care of the Smithsonian Institution containing some 400 species of birds, 102 of mammals and 1,316 plants. This tropical biology research station is known all around the world for its contributions to the understanding and conservation of tropical environments.
This morning we visited Barro Colorado Natural Monument under the guidance of the Smithsonian guides, a great introduction to a week of explorations of the natural treasures of Panama and Costa Rica. The pilot tested our patience by making us wait for him more than we expected, but finally with him on board, we completed our transit of the Panama Canal. By midnight, we were sailing in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The adventure was just about to start…
