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 leased 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
James Rotenberg, PhD
BFREE Board President, 2022
Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental EducationDr. James “Jamie” Rotenberg is an associate professor of tropical environmental ecology in the Department of Environmental Sciences at UNCW. Beginning as a Fulbright Scholar for his PhD research in 1997, Jamie has conducted avian monitoring and research projects in Guatemala, the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, and now Belize. Jamie arrived at BFREE in December 2005 and was a member of the original scientific team that rediscovered Harpy Eagles in Belize. Since then, he has led several avian-related research projects focusing on the eagles, the bird community, and most recently forest restoration using cacao agroforestry. Jamie’s passion for teaching includes sharing the tropics with his students and he has brought ~100 UNCW students to BFREE for study abroad experiences.
Pamela Garvin
BFREE Board Treasurer, 2022
Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental EducationPamela Garvin is a retired tax attorney originally from California, and she now claims Manhattan and Sarasota, Florida as home. She brings to BFREE her leadership and experience from serving on the Boards of a multitude of non-profits such as the Ventura County Community Foundation, Foundation for Diversity in the Arts, the Conejo Schools Foundation and most recently the Zonta Club of New York. Pamela had her own legal practice for over 30 years, was on the Small Business Council, and a sought-after speaker in her specialized field of pensions and benefits. She counseled clients on their estate and gift-giving plans, as well as assisting them in establishing businesses, and partnerships. Pamela is a strong supporter of BFREE and its missions, and looks forward to exploring Belize.
Peter Esselman, PhD
BFREE Board Secretary 2022
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.
Gentry Mander, JD
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.
Tim Gregory, PhD
Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental EducationTim has a Ph.D. in Physiology and Pharmacology and retired, the first time, in 2007 after a twenty-five year career in the biotechnology industry making vaccines and cancer therapies. He then became a biopharmaceutical entrepreneur and co-founded a new company focused on new cancer therapeutics. He retired the second time in 2016 when the company was successfully sold. Since 2016 he has focussed his efforts on supporting conservation projects for freshwater turtles and tortoises, and cycads, worldwide. He is serving as co-chair of the conservation committee of the IUCN Cycad Specialist Group, co-founder of the conservation ngo Wild Cycad Conservancy, member and past chair of the Advisory BOD of the University of California Botanical Garden, a member of the BOD of the Turtle Survival Alliance, as well as a member of the BOD of BFREE and CRIOCO, LLC.
Jacob Marlin
Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental EducationBorn and raised in Washington, D.C., Jacob had a passion for the natural world at a young age – especially snakes. After receiving an A.S. degree in Biological Park Management in 1989, he worked in the Herpetology departments of several zoos. On an exploration trip to Belize, Jacob fell in love with the country and eventually moved there in 1993 to found BFREE, serving as Executive Director ever since. Jacob is Chairman of Belize’s Monkey River Watershed Association, President of the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund, and CEO of Crioco Cacao, LLC, a for-profit cacao and chocolate company.
