BFREE Blog

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New Cacao Operations Manager

By bfreebz | April 11, 2022 |

Congratulations to Mr. Elmer Tzalam. He has recently taken on the new role of Cacao Operations Manager for Crioco Cacao, LLC. This is well-deserved promotion for Elmer. He has been a faithful employee to BFREE for over ten years. Elmer began working with BFREE in June 2011 as the project’s first cacao farm worker. Prior…

Testing sugar content in cacao

By bfreebz | April 9, 2022 |

Cacao staff at BFREE are learning to harvest cacao pods when they are the sweetest. Last month, Elmer Tzalam and Mark Canti harvested cacao pods to test sugar content at different stages of ripeness. They carefully opened each pod one at a time. Then they scraped out several beans and place them in a mesh…

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for The Hammock

By bfreebz | March 30, 2022 |

In February 2022, BFREE Executive Director, Jacob Marlin, and BFREE Facilities Manager, Marcelino Pop, using a machete, cut the fluorescent pink flagging tape to celebrate the completion of BFREE’s newest facility, the Hammock. Staff and visiting guests, and volunteers cheered along for this momentous occasion. The Hammock remains in the exact location as BFREE’s Bunkhouse…

BFREE Wildlife & Conservation Status Directory

By bfreebz | March 28, 2022 |

BFREE Program Manager, Tyler Sanville, used data created by visiting and resident biologists to develop a complete list of the known organisms with the exception of snails, insects, and butterflies documented to date in the BFREE Reserve, along with their IUCN Status and Population Trend. Known species found on the BFREE Privately Protected Area include…

Returning Volunteers are key to the success of bi-annual Hicatee Health Assessments

By bfreebz | March 17, 2022 |

A team of biologists, veterinarians, and turtle lovers gathered at BFREE in early March for our 14th bi-annual health assessment of the Central American River Turtle locally named Hicatee. We’ve learned so much since our first Hicatee health assessment in September 2014. The act of weighing, measuring, and reviewing the health of hundreds of turtles…

Autumn Dietrich Completes 10-week Internship at BFREE

By bfreebz | March 16, 2022 |

BFREE internship opportunities have returned since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. After more than two years of not hosting interns, Autumn Dietrich is welcomed with open arms to BFREE for a 10-week program from January to March 2022. Autumn is no stranger to BFREE. She first visited on a Field Course as an undergrad with…

Feste Film Crew Visits the HCRC

By bfreebz | March 11, 2022 |

In collaboration with the European Nature Trust, The Feste Film crew has been traveling throughout Belize, documenting the country’s many important conservation initiatives since January. This week, the crew stopped at BFREE to learn about our work to preserve the critically endangered Central American River Turtle, locally known as the Hicatee. They are interviewing BFREE…

A New Species of Coccidia Described in D. mawii

By bfreebz | March 9, 2022 |

We are pleased to announce a recent publication in the Journal of Parasitology that describes a new coccidian protozoan, Eimeria grayi. Named after the biologist who described Dermatemys mawii, this is the first description of a coccidian in the Central American River Turtle. The discovery of this bacteria advances our understanding of this under-studied and monotypic species…

Documentarians visit BFREE

By bfreebz | March 8, 2022 |

Professional photographers, videographers, and documentarians Jorge Silva Rivera and Carlos Miguel Herrera traveled from Chiapas, Mexico, to BFREE for 10-days in February 2022. Working with Zamia Media, the pair set out to document the people, facilities, wildlife, and natural beauty of BFREE. Zamia Media will then use the images and videos captured during their time to…

BFREE is for the People!

By bfreebz | March 8, 2022 |

Visiting volunteer, Autumn Dietrich captured these incredible candid images of many of the BFREE staff that show the incredible and inspiring faces behind our important and necessary conservation work. It wouldn’t be possible to be the successful conservation organization that we are today without the people who make BFREE. A special thanks to Autumn for…

Mailing Address
BFREE Field Station
PO Box 129
Punta Gorda
Belize, Central America


Phone

011.501.621.6685

Email
contact@bfreebz.org

US for BFREE is a Florida non-profit,
tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.

Mailing Address
BFREE Field Station
PO Box 129
Punta Gorda
Belize, Central America

Phone
011.501.621.6685

Email
contact@bfreebz.org

US for BFREE is a Florida non-profit,
tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.