About
Recognizing the need for a conservation management program for the Bladen Nature Reserve (BNR), the Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE) was founded in 1995 with the primary purpose of developing and implementing a conservation program for the BNR. To achieve this goal, BFREE acquired a 1,153 area privately protected area and established a biological field station strategically located in the foothills of the Maya Mountains at the gateway to BNR and bordering four national parks and reserves.
Working with multiple stakeholders, BFREE conducts a wide array of conservation activities both within the BFREE privately protected area and in neighboring reserves. BFREE has increased awareness of the Bladen Nature Reserve and the greater Maya Mountains by highlighting their conservation value and biological significance to ensure this tropical wilderness is recognized as a core conservation area within northern Central America and is preserved for future generations in its undisturbed and natural state.
Mission
BFREE’s mission is, “to conserve the biodiversity and cultural heritage of Belize.”
Location
The field station is situated on a 1,153 acre private reserve; access is a 10-km unpaved road that requires passage through the Bladen Nature Reserve. The land borders four protected areas: the Bladen Nature Reserve, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary Deep River Forest Reserve, and Maya Mountain Forest Reserve. All are part of the larger Maya Mountain Massif which includes 16 protected areas covering almost 2 million acres of continuous tropical forest. The land sits approximately 60 meters above sea level on a rich alluvial soil matrix and is covered entirely in a tropical broadleaf rainforest. Habitats include a variety of tropical forest types and aquatic ecosystems. The average tree canopy height is about 25 meters with emergent trees reaching 45-50 meters. Ancient Mayan archeological sites are found at BFREE; including house mounds and a terraced hillside nearby. The biodiversity found at BFREE is exceptional and shares many of the same characteristics as the Bladen Nature Reserve.
Vision
As the only field station in this biologically significant area, BFREE seeks to achieve its mission by successfully integrating scientific research, environmental education, and conservation to help conserve the Maya Mountains, one of the last remaining unspoiled wilderness areas of its kind.
Conservation
BFREE promotes and facilitates scientific research onsite, within the Bladen Nature Reserve, and other neighboring protected areas. Working collaboratively with international and local partners, BFREE implements both short and long-term research and monitoring programs with a focus on building capacity within Belize. In addition, BFREE offers content-specific learning experiences that often challenge individuals to step outside of their comfort zone. These courses range in length from one week to a full semester and are structured to encourage participants to actively engage with and appreciate their natural environment. Partnerships include research and educational institutions, conservation organizations, government agencies and businesses.
Our Staff
Our Board
Jacob Marlin
BFREE Executive Director
Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education
Gentry Mander, JD
Staff Attorney
Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental EducationGentry Mander is a staff attorney at the Georgia Heirs Property Law Center, a not-for-profit law firm dedicated to serving low- and moderate-income heirs property owners aiming to clear title to their inherited property and build generational wealth. Gentry began working with BFREE in 2012 as a law student in the University of Florida’s Conservation Clinic. She later completed her masters in sustainable development practice (MDP) field practicum studying the economic viability of shade grown cacao for smallholder Maya farmers in collaboration with BFREE. When not in the jungle, Gentry lives in Atlanta with her husband, son, and two domesticated mini-jaguars.
James Rotenberg, PhD
Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences, UNCW
Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education
Robert Klinger, PhD
U.S. Geological Survey
Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental EducationRob’s day (and evening) job is as an ecologist and statistician with the US Geological Survey. His research is focused on dynamics of animal and plant communities in the face of shifting climatic conditions and altered disturbance regimes, such as fire. He has often been accused of being an “extremeophile” because he loves working in alpine ecosystems, deserts, and, of course, lowland tropical forests. Rob first came to BFREE in 1999 to work on his Ph.D. through the University of California, Davis. Like many others before and after him he was sucked in by the wonderful chaos of the tropical forest, but even more he was awestruck by the commitment and impacts that a small conservation organization like BFREE had.
Peter Esselman, PhD
Fishery Biologist with U.S. Geological Survey
Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental EducationDr. Peter Esselman is a Research Fish Biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center. He worked extensively in Belize between 1995 and 2008, completing his Master’s and PhD research studying Belize’s river fish communities, and consulting with Toledo Institute for Development and Environment, The Nature Conservancy, the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, Programme for Belize and others. He is a founding member of the Monkey River Watershed Association, and has been a supporter of BFREE since its origin in 1995, having lived there in 1997-1998 and again for several years in the early 2000’s.
Our Facilities
US for BFREE
2602 NW 6th St
Suite D
Gainesville, FL 32609
BFREE FIELD STATION
PO Box 129
Punta Gorda
Belize, Central America
FIELD STATION LOCATION
Mile Marker 58
Southern Highway
Belize, Central America
FIELD STATION PHONE
011.501.671.1299
US for BFREE is a Florida nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.