right|thumb|The Barro Colorado Research Station is run by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
right|thumb|A schematic of the Panama Canal, showing Barro Colorado Island in the middle left.
Barro Colorado Island is located in the man-made Gatun Lake in the middle of the Panama Canal. The island was formed when the waters of the Chagres River were dammed to form the lake in 1913. When the waters rose, they covered a significant part of the existing tropical forest, but certain hilltops remained as islands in the middle of the lake. It has an area of .
History
The island was set aside as a nature reserve on April 17, 1923, by the U.S. Government. Initially administered by the Panama Canal Company under the direction of James Zetek, since 1946 Barro Colorado Island has been administered by the Smithsonian, together with five adjacent peninsulas, as the Barro Colorado Nature Monument. It is among the most-studied areas of tropical forest in the world. The Nature Monument has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) has a permanent research center on the island, dedicated to studying tropical forest ecosystems. In 2002 The Tapir's Morning Bath by Elizabeth Royte was published, chronicling the lives and work of scientists working on the island. Another 50-ha plot was later established in the Pasoh Forest Reserve, Malaysia in 1987, allowing the dynamics of two distinct tropical forests to be compared.
Visiting
Visitors are allowed on Barro Colorado Island. Access is, however, regulated by STRI. To visit the island, people must make a reservation with the staff and arrange for a tour. Tours generally include transportation to and from the island (often by boat from Gamboa), a 2–3 hour guided hike, lunch, and a visit to the museum. Hikes through the island offer the opportunity to spot several animals including monkeys, anteaters, birds and insects.
National Emergency
U.S. federal law states that the natural features of the island shall "be left in their natural state for scientific observation and investigation", "except in event of declared national emergency."
U.S. federal law no longer applies, as the Panama Canal Zone was incorporated back into Panama in 1979.