Panama Canal and Barro Colorado Island, Panama
In 1913, the British magazine “Puck” showed a cartoon with Uncle Sam astride the Isthmus of Panama and the Canal nearly completed. The cartoon also showed the pyramids of Egypt, the hanging gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes, and other well-known creations of mankind, and its legend read: “The seven wonders of the world salute the eighth.” Built at the beginning of the 20th Century, the Canal has become a vital link on the global economy of the 21st (and 22nd) making Panama known as “the crossroads of the world.” As massive as the pyramids and as intricate as the workings of a fine Swiss watch, the locks took four years to build; their walls one thousand feet long and taller than a 7-story building. While there have been many changes in the Canal and its operation through the years, much of it still uses original equipment. The locks, the gates, the dams, the breakwaters were built to last a long time by very smart and foreseeing people.
This world-wonder welcomed us yesterday evening for the beginning of our Central American Odyssey. Our pilot arrived early and as soon as we came on board we began moving towards the set of locks on the Caribbean side, the Gatun locks. The environmental and social disruptions long behind it, the Canal now exists in harmony with the fragile and unique rainforest ecosystem of the Isthmus. Midway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans lies the Barro Colorado National Monument or Barro Colorado Island (BCI). At about 15.6 square kilometers (9.6 square miles), BCI is the largest island in Gatun Lake. The lake was formed between 1911 and 1914 by the damming of the Chagres River, done to build the Canal.
The island was set aside as a biological preserve in 1923 and is currently supervised by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, which operates a very modern field station on the Northeastern shore of the island. Apart from this little settlement there is very little that interrupts the dense forest cover. The island contains a variety of plant and animal species that provide both the researcher and the visitor with a great deal of material to study and learn about. Forty percent of the bird species and forty-two percent of the mammal species that exist in Panama are found of this island. With a total of 1368 vascular plant species, 93 mammal species, 366 species of birds and 90 amphibian and reptile species, BCI is one of the best-studied sites in the American tropics.
We had the privilege of walking through the trails and cruising around this researcher’s haven, getting the chance to see and hear some of the animals and plants that make this part of the world hard to match. Howler monkeys, white faced capuchin monkeys, agoutis, keel-billed toucans, snail kites, ospreys, leaf cutter ants, termites, blue morph butterflies and many more greeted us into their realm, as we became one with nature again, if only for a short time.
It was then off again towards technology and the Canal mechanics with our new pilot on board—what greater contrast could there be after time spent exploring the forest and cruising the lake. Back on track, we crossed en route to the Pacific Ocean.
In 1913, the British magazine “Puck” showed a cartoon with Uncle Sam astride the Isthmus of Panama and the Canal nearly completed. The cartoon also showed the pyramids of Egypt, the hanging gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes, and other well-known creations of mankind, and its legend read: “The seven wonders of the world salute the eighth.” Built at the beginning of the 20th Century, the Canal has become a vital link on the global economy of the 21st (and 22nd) making Panama known as “the crossroads of the world.” As massive as the pyramids and as intricate as the workings of a fine Swiss watch, the locks took four years to build; their walls one thousand feet long and taller than a 7-story building. While there have been many changes in the Canal and its operation through the years, much of it still uses original equipment. The locks, the gates, the dams, the breakwaters were built to last a long time by very smart and foreseeing people.
This world-wonder welcomed us yesterday evening for the beginning of our Central American Odyssey. Our pilot arrived early and as soon as we came on board we began moving towards the set of locks on the Caribbean side, the Gatun locks. The environmental and social disruptions long behind it, the Canal now exists in harmony with the fragile and unique rainforest ecosystem of the Isthmus. Midway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans lies the Barro Colorado National Monument or Barro Colorado Island (BCI). At about 15.6 square kilometers (9.6 square miles), BCI is the largest island in Gatun Lake. The lake was formed between 1911 and 1914 by the damming of the Chagres River, done to build the Canal.
The island was set aside as a biological preserve in 1923 and is currently supervised by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, which operates a very modern field station on the Northeastern shore of the island. Apart from this little settlement there is very little that interrupts the dense forest cover. The island contains a variety of plant and animal species that provide both the researcher and the visitor with a great deal of material to study and learn about. Forty percent of the bird species and forty-two percent of the mammal species that exist in Panama are found of this island. With a total of 1368 vascular plant species, 93 mammal species, 366 species of birds and 90 amphibian and reptile species, BCI is one of the best-studied sites in the American tropics.
We had the privilege of walking through the trails and cruising around this researcher’s haven, getting the chance to see and hear some of the animals and plants that make this part of the world hard to match. Howler monkeys, white faced capuchin monkeys, agoutis, keel-billed toucans, snail kites, ospreys, leaf cutter ants, termites, blue morph butterflies and many more greeted us into their realm, as we became one with nature again, if only for a short time.
It was then off again towards technology and the Canal mechanics with our new pilot on board—what greater contrast could there be after time spent exploring the forest and cruising the lake. Back on track, we crossed en route to the Pacific Ocean.
