Blog
BFREE Fellows Participate in Ranger Weekend
BFREE’s Science and Education Fellowship program is a two-year immersive training opportunity for recent Belizean junior college graduates who exhibit leadership potential combined and a clear interest in the conservation of the country’s natural resources. Each Fellows are assigned one of three focal areas based on their interest and experience, Wildlife conservation – Hicatee Conservation, Sustainable…
Read MorePigeon Pea’s Role in a Cacao Agroforest
Pigeon pea is one of the many species of shade tree planted in the agroforest at BFREE.
Read MorePale-billed Woodpecker Sighting
Liberato (Gato) Pop was a BFREE Avian Technician from 2006 – 2013. He began working with us when he was just 16 years old as a member of the Harpy Eagle research team. Gato now works as a Park Ranger for TIDE but continues to do contract work with us from time to time. He…
Read MoreBFREE’s Bounty of Birds
For the past three years, BFREE has had Harpy eagle visitors in late February. So that means we are spending a lot of time looking up! Scouring the tops of trees like Ceiba and Prickly Yellow where we’ve seen them previously perched in hopes that 2021 will be good to us. We’ve recorded 20 separate…
Read MoreLand Snails of Belize Book Receives Five-Star Reviews!
In 2019, we shared that 17 new land snails were discovered in Belize by husband and wife team, Dan and Judy Dourson, and their colleague, Dr. Ron Caldwell. Before the team’s research began in 2006, only 24 species of land snails were reported from Belize. Over the next decade, a total of 158 native land…
Read MoreMeet the BFREE Staff of the HCRC
Educational materials shared with young Belizeans across the country!
By Ms. Ornella Cadle, Hicatee Awareness Month Committee Coordinator Each October, BFREE ambassadors and partners visit schools to present on Hicatee Awareness Month. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, outreach looked a bit different this year. While traveling to various schools for outreach wasn’t a safe option, we wanted to ensure the incredible resources still reached…
Read MoreOur Presence Matters
Around the world, the question is being asked: How does the pandemic impact threatened species and protected areas? The answer seems to be a resounding: We don’t know, but we suspect in some good ways and some bad ways. Wildlife and protected areas are likely benefited by less human presence and disturbance and also negatively…
Read MoreReleasing Hicatee with Belize’s Next Generation
Six years after the first Hicatee egg was laid and hatched at the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center (HCRC) at BFREE, we released 145 hatchlings turtles into the wild – representing the first significant release of captive bred and hatched Hicatee in Belize. The release not only provided the opportunity to increase the wild population,…
Read MoreGrowing the BFREE Fellowship Program
Now in its third year, the BFREE Science and Education Fellowship program’s goal is to provide opportunities for exceptionally qualified early-career conservationists. Current Fellows are Lenardo (Leo) Ash who has been assigned to work in the cacao agroforestry program and Jonathan Dubon who is assigned to work at the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center (HCRC).…
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