Recognizing the severe pressures that wild populations of the Central American River Turtle – locally known as Hicatee – face due to human consumption, and given the catastrophic declines throughout their range, the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) determined that techniques should be developed to breed and manage this species in captivity. After frustrating attempts to launch a program in Mexico, efforts switched to Belize. In 2013, TSA and BFREE developed a partnership to create the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center (HCRC) at the BFREE Field Station in order to investigate the reproductive biology of the species with the goal of building assurance colonies to aid in reintroductions.
Our intention has been to develop the captive management protocols followed by a recovery plan in Belize and, once successful, BFREE and TSA would attempt to expand those methods into Guatemala and Mexico. The HCRC is the only facility in Belize maintaining Hicatee in captivity to study aspects of its biology and behavior. The HCRC presently has 45 breeding adults and has produced over 600 turtles spanning six year-classes.
Below are the staff of BFREE who manage operations of the Hicatee Conservation & Research Center.
Meet the BFREE Staff of the HCRC
Jacob Marlin, BFREE Executive Director and Hicatee Program Director
Raised in Washington, D.C., Jacob had a passion for the natural world at a very young age, focusing on reptiles and amphibians. He has been working with reptiles for over 40 years, including U.S. Federal, State, and local agencies. Jacob worked at Zoos early in his career, including Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington D.C., Santa Fe Teaching Zoo in Florida, the Dallas Zoo in Texas, and the Toledo Zoo in Ohio. He maintained a large private captive breeding colony of diverse herpetofauna for over 20 years. Since 2011, Jacob has spearheaded the development and overseen the operations of the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center at BFREE, as well as championing the broader countrywide efforts to ensure the long-term sustainable management and conservation of the species through advocacy, raising awareness, coordinating symposia, and meetings, fundraising, disseminating information and networking with multiple partners. He coordinates and facilitates associated research and short, medium, and long-term planning for the ultimate survival of the species.
Tom Pop, Hicatee Conservation and Research Center Manager
Tom was hand-picked to be the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center Manager in 2014, just after the facility was established. Tom was selected due to his extensive field experience supporting multiple researchers and multiple taxa over decades. The TSA originally trained Tom on Hicatee population monitoring in 2010. He manages both the HCRC and this project. His responsibilities include daily care, monitoring turtles, maintenance of facilities and turtles, oversight of interns and students, and data collection. Additionally, Tom remains highly valued and sought after for his skills as the leading Hicatee field technician in Belize.
Heather Barrett, BFREE Deputy Director and Hicatee Program Administrator
Heather Barrett is the BFREE Deputy Director who splits her time between the BFREE Field Station and Gainesville, FL. She coordinates all administrative responsibilities for the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center, including reporting, documentation, staffing, training, and the like. She also oversees the development of all outreach activities and educational materials. In 2017, along with Tyler Sanville and with TSA’s support, she established Hicatee Awareness Month as a strategy to gain countrywide attention for the Hicatee. In 2020, Heather joined the Board of Directors for the Turtle Survival Alliance.
Jonathan Dubon, BFREE Wildlife Fellow and Hicatee Program Assistant
Jonathan is the newest addition to the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center. He is a graduate of southern Belize’s Independence Junior College, where he majored in Natural Resource Management and was first introduced to BFREE through a weekend field course. Jonathan collects and manages data for the HCRC, develops quarterly activity reports, and assists in animal management and facility maintenance activities. Jonathan also served on the Hicatee Awareness Committee in 2020 and wrote and produced an educational sing-a-long that was used to raise awareness of the declining species.
Nelly Cadle, BFREE Field Course Leader and Hicatee Awareness Month Committee Coordinator
Nelly is a graduate of Independence Junior College Tourism Program. She began work with BFREE in 2014 as a Field Course Leader and Tour Guide for the Field Station programs. She has been involved with educational outreach in surrounding communities and leads international study abroad groups at BFREE. In recent years, she has become more involved in Hicatee Outreach activities, and in 2020 became the Hicatee Awareness Month Committee Coordinator.
Tyler Sanville, BFREE Program Manager and Hicatee Program Communications Manager
Tyler Sanville has worked at BFREE since January 2015 and is based in Washington, D.C., USA. Tyler manages the communications strategy and associated content for BFREE and the HCRC and coordinates Hicatee-related events and activities for BFREE. Along with Heather Barrett and with Turtle Survival Alliance’s support, she established Hicatee Awareness Month in 2017. Tyler hand-stitched the first “Save the Hicatee” banner from recycled bed sheets at BFREE in 2017, and it now has more than 200 Hicatee Hero signatures from around the world!
