Achievement

As a result of this year's international basin tour to the Panama Canal watershed, the cadre developed a seminar based on their investigation, observations, and experience of issues in the Canal watershed and the current expansion of the Canal. This seminar will be become part of the SIU Watershed Science course, and the group recently presented the seminar for the entire university community at the annual SIU Research Town Hall Meeting. In Panama, the group observed new housing developments in mountainous regions of Panama that are already having major environmental impacts and showing signs of rapid deterioration (e.g., severe erosion of roads and culverts after only one rainy season, sedimentation of streams and reservoirs). As a result of these experiences, the group is developing a research project to compare housing development practices in some regions of Panama to more sustainable models in Costa Rica.