WATER GUARDIANS

Water Guardians is our flagship, long-term citizen science program that empowers students to understand and protect the health of their local watersheds. In partnership with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Agua Salud Project, we bring cutting-edge science directly into the classroom and field, giving students the chance to become active researchers and environmental stewards.

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Currently based in a rural public school, the program blends hands-on monitoring of water quality with lessons in ecology, culture, and community responsibility. Students learn how their daily lives connect to the health of rivers, forests, and the Panama Canal watershed, and they contribute real data that supports both local and international research.

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Water Guardians is designed not as a one-time workshop but as a long-term commitment—building year after year so that each new class of students deepens the knowledge, skills, and sense of responsibility within their school and community.

Our vision is to scale Water Guardians nationally, creating a model for environmental education that can be shared across Panama and beyond. By equipping students with the tools of science and the worldview of kinship with nature, we aim to inspire the next generation of leaders who will care for watersheds and the people who depend on them.