Fifteen Central American alumni of a singular University of Idaho graduate program gathered in Panama City in May to compare notes on their professional lives and help their university professors and their sponsor, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), assess whether the funds invested in their education were paying off. USAID-funded training programs are common enough in Central America; less common are such long-term evaluations of their impact.

In 1995, The University of Idaho's College of Natural Resources awarded a master's degree in environmental education and interpretation to the 15, who are from Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama.

An environmental interpreter is able to translate the technical language of a natural science or related field into terms and ideas that people who aren't scientists can understand, according to Sam Ham, a professor at the University of Idaho and author of Environmental Interpretation: A Practical Guide for People with Big Ideas and Small Budgets. While the need for professional interpreters in Central America is huge, Ham says that graduate-level programs don't exist. Charles Hatch, dean of the College of Natural Resources, adds that interpretation has long been part of the university's curriculum, while professors like Ham nurtured an interest in Central America's ecology.

For two years the Central Americans took standard classes, such as "Environmental Communication Theory", "Monitoring Human Impacts in Wilderness" and "Advertising Campaign Strategies," along with courses designed just for them. Each student completed thesis work in his or her own country. For example, Costa Rican Natalia Zamora's thesis was "Environmental Radio Programs for Rural Communities in the Buffer Zone of Barra Honda National Park," while Silvia Pérez's was "Improving Environmental Education Programs in El Salvador."

All but one of the students were on full scholarships and the total cost of their education was about $1 million. Ham feels certain it was a worthwhile investment. "Initially seven students were volunteers or working with conservation groups," he says. "Now ten are either working with or consulting with conservation groups. Initially, four were working in schools or universities as teachers; all four are still active in education, but at a higher level. Two came right out of the university and are now leaders of conservation groups. Fifteen of 15 are still working in their countries."

The alumni also laud their graduate experience and the doors it opened for them. Guatemalan Luis Furlán believes that being in the United States and learning from other students were hugely beneficial. "When you remain in your own country," he notes, "you tend not to realize that there are ways to do things differently. An international experience expands your vision." Furlán is now a communications specialist with PROARCA/CAPAS, a USAID program in Central America that focuses on protected-areas conservation.

Before her Idaho experience, Panamanian Rita Spadafora was a television journalist. Now she is executive director of Panama City's Metropolitan Natural Park. She believes that the techniques of communications and public participation she learned in graduate school are invaluable to her work now. Because it is a reserve in the heart of the city, "in Metropolitan Park, environmental education is just as important as science," she says.

Based on the pilot program's success, Hatch and Ham would like to bring another group of Central American students to Idaho, but funding for scholarships is elusive. The alumni's accomplishments, however, may have convinced a few USAID officials who, not coincidentally, were invited to the Panama City reunion. -- ECO-EXCHANGE.