OCon2U Visits STRI

Organized by STRI’s finance management team and OCon (Office of Contracting) in DC, OCon2U was recently held with 33 STRI employees participating from all departments. The workshop’s goal was to share policies best practices to efficiently manage purchases throughout the institution. The event was well received by STRI staff as they learned more about the procedures and processes managed by OCon.

Participants from right to left: Natascha Syre, OCon deputy director; Khalid Alsarraj, Assistant Director for Policy and Compliance; Tracy Davis, Procurement Administrator; Nikki Spencer, Purchasing Card Program Manager; Aggie Robine, Program Analyst.

Monthly Sloth Census

At Punta Culebra Natural Center, a monthly census of the sloth population was carried out. The number of individuals observed varies between 7 and 15, since the sloths move between different areas of Naos Island. On Saturday, May 4, 8 Choloepus hoffmanni — Hoffmann's two-toed sloth — were observed during a 40min walk. During the census, participants also note down data such as weather, temperature, location, tree type, and sloth activity. In this month's census, as in last month's, all the sloths were reported to be sleeping.

Global Big Day

Saturday May 11 was Global Big Day. Punta Culebra participated with support from our enthusiastic visitors, and 20 species of birds were sighted in a total of two hours total of 2 hours throughout the center.

The current list of bird sightings at Punta Culebra, including migratory and native birds, ¡includes more than 100 species!

eButterfly

On Wednesday, May 22, the monthly Q?rioso public talk was held by experts from the platform eButterfly to learn about this new tool and help the monitoring and identification of butterflies through citizen science.

World Bee Day and Biodiversity Day

During the week of May 20th to May 24th, Punta Culebra celebrated World Bee Day and Biodiversity Day through fun and thematic activities during school programming.

Festival of Wings

On Sunday, May 26, Punta Culebra guides participated in the Festival of Wings held at Metropolitan Natural Park, sharing with the attendees various scientific and educational activities and games based on birds, food chains, as well as interactions and relationships of winged organisms with their environment. This event was organized by the Alada Foundation, whom we thank for the invitation and congratulate on the an event that so successfully connected citizens with nature.

Did you know that you can follow Punta Culebra on social media?

Punta Culebra Nature Center can be found on Instagram, Facebook, and X. Search for us @puntaculebra to find out about the Center’s events!

Swimming for the Ocean in Bocas del Toro

We recently immersed ourselves in the 'Brazadas por los Océanos' event at Istmo Beach (Las Cabañas), Colón Island, Bocas del Toro. With the goal of boosting awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals #13 (Climate Change) and #14 (Life below Water), this event was organized by the School for Field Studies, Bocas Ocean, and Swim with Ana to encourage civic participation in ocean protection. Staff from the Bocas del Toro Research Station shared the Smithsonian story and highlighted research including the seaweed project at Isthmus Beach, highlighting its relevance and impact. In addition, we provided support and motivation, especially to young people, to get involved in environmental change initiatives.