Smithsonian Journey to Isla Galeta


Smithsonian Journey to Isla Galeta

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Written by Matt Landau

Thursday, June 22 2006

When Dr. Stanley Heckadon-Moreno—director at The Smithsonian Institute—invited me to go with him for a day of research to Isla Galeta—a marine science center on Panama's Caribbean coast—I looked around my apartment for anything that might conceal my scientific incompetence. I wanted something that would say I was experienced; that I had done this sort of thing before. I searched my drawers but all I could come up with was a broken compass and one of those oversized pencils with pictures of ninja turtles on it—they would have to do. This Smithsonian journey was on like Donkey Kong.

The ride out to Galeta was a bit uncomfortable at first, that awkward dead air when you are forced into a small enclosed area with someone you don't know. To further this discomfort, we came from two entirely different walks of life: Stanley, a famous scientist who travels around the world representing the Smithsonian and me, a bootleg writer who shoots root beer out of his nose. But nonetheless, I wanted to make conversation—you know, say something witty that might impress him without embarrassing myself. I took a deep breath.

“You ever wonder...” I paused here, unsure about what had inspired me to say that which had already seeped half way out of my mouth. “Do you ever wonder why terrorists are always practicing on those jungle gyms?”

Stanley squinted and then looked back at me with a confused stare—the sort of way you might look at someone if they had a baby crow nesting in their hair.

“What?” I exclaimed. “Haven't you seen them on those monkey bars and doing somersaults and stuff?”

The Doctor stared out the windshield, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

Isla Galeta is one of the Smithsonian's several research facilities in Panama, the Institute's only centers outside of the US. Back in its heyday, the island was a US military base, portions of its coast used to intercept Soviet submarine signals. Today it is a scientist's haven, attracting hoards of world-renowned names that neither you nor I would recognize. While a lot of the work done here is over the layman's head, they do offer tours and information sessions—essentially dumbing down their sophisticated research so normal people can get the idea.

My tour guide, a small man named Jonathan, showed me through a forest where we saw a few skittish monkeys and four newly-hatched baby alligators. We wove in and out of mangrove swamps, an ecosystem that is far prettier than it sounds. Stanley gave a small speech to a group of fishermen and schoolchildren gathered in one of the auditoriums—an effort by the Smithsonian to work with the native people of Panama and teach them about various science-related topics.

I talked with the president of a group of fishermen about a project they were working on: native-led boat tours through the creeks and rivers of Colon. While they have a bit of a ways to go in terms of understanding tourism and service industry-related concepts, their intentions sound really neat and I'm looking forward to visiting again when they're up and running.

On the way out of Isla Galeta, we stopped at the Sol Melia Hotel and Resort for a lazy lunch. The food was great and the views out at the massive pools and lake weren't too hard on the eyes. One of Stanley's associates found a giant snake out back and posed for the camera. When I asked him how he became so comfortable with snakes he said, “well, sometimes the leetle snakes need me to care for them. I have a collection of snakes you know?”

“Wow,” I said. “How many do you have?”

“Probably more than one million.”

The Smithsonian journey out to Colon with the famous Dr. Stanley

Heckadon-Moreno was really a great adventure. It only takes about 1 hour to get out there and the lab is definitely worth a visit if you've got any science in you. There's also Latin America's largest Duty Free sector in Colon, so you can stop by and pick up some goodies. Stanley and I had bonded on our trip. We had grown closer. I had learned a lot from him: this man so dedicated to science and preservation of nature. He has written prominent books, contributed to fascinating projects, and operated perhaps the world's leading marine research facility. Granted he'll never be quite as fast as me, but hey, nobody's perfect.

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