Ranger Training at BFREE

The new year started off on the right foot with a workshop for BFREE park rangers in Basic Navigation Skills. Dr. Rob Klinger, BFREE Board Member and Ecologist, spent a morning teaching concepts and methods associated with navigation using compasses. Because BFREE park rangers are required to patrol all areas within the 1,153 acre privately…

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Designing a Chocolate Bar Package: Semester-long Project with UNCW

As an organization whose mission includes a strong focus on education, we are always excited for opportunities to collaborate with high school and university classes in semester-long projects. Last fall, we were privileged to work with a class of aspiring graphic designers at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, ART 360. Led by Ned Irvine,…

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In Pursuit of Hicatee in Belize by Day Ligon

The Hicatee, as Dermatemys mawii is known in parts of its range, is truly a unique turtle. Although fossil records indicate that closely related species once occurred across Central America and Europe, Hicatee remain as the only living representatives of a formerly species-rich family of turtles. It is a large turtle, sometimes exceeding 22 kilograms.…

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Land Snail Workshop at BFREE

The first workshop on the Land Snails of Belize was led by biologists, Dan and Judy Dourson, and took place at the BFREE field station in late February. The workshop’s goal was to give participants an understanding of which snails can be found in southern Belize and to train them to identify land snails with…

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Birds, Chocolate, Forests, and Allegheny College

Allegheny College students pose for a photo at BFREE during the Birds, Chocolate, Forest Field Course in May 2019.  Written By, Beth Choate, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Environmental Science and SustainabilityAllegheny College BFREE’s Birds, Chocolate and Forests course provided students with a real life example of the complexities of conservation within the rainforests of southern Belize. Through…

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Herp Survey at BFREE

Article by, Iris Holmes This May, a group of researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of California, Berkeley, visited BFREE to do a survey of amphibians and reptiles. They worked for two weeks, both on the BFREE property and at Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. Between these places, they recorded 47 species.…

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BFREE Receives Porras Conservation Award

  It’s not often international wildlife conferences hold their annual meeting so close to home. Fortunately, the International Herpetological Symposium (IHS) chose Belize City as the base for their 42nd gathering and we are so glad they did!    The International Herpetological Symposium (IHS) provides a forum for the dissemination of information and research pertaining…

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Winners Announced for the National Hicatee Poster Contest

BFREE and the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) are pleased to announce the winners of a national poster contest for primary school students. The Overall Winner was Seydi Medrano from Ambergris Caye Elementary School in San Pedro, Belize. (First image) The Winner of the 12-14 age group was Kevin Thurton from Hummingbird Elementary School in Belize…

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The Bladen Review 2018

The fifth edition of BFREE’s annual magazine is now available in an interactive format online at Issuu! Get the latest news from the field station and learn about exciting research, conservation and education projects taking place in and around the rainforests of Belize.  Highlights of the 2018 magazine include: a quick look back at the year, updates on…

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Hicatee Awareness Month 2018 Wrap Up

Hicatee Awareness Month 2018 The Hicatee turtle, a national treasure for Belize, is seriously under threat due to over-hunting for human consumption. Listed as critically endangered, Belize offers the highest chance for its survival. Because the Hicatee is in need of greater protection and innovative conservation actions, Turtle Survival Alliance and BFREE launched Hicateee Awareness Month, a country-wide awareness campaign…

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