belize Archives - Page 6 of 6 - Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education

2016 Field Courses

June 22, 2016/0 Comments/in Blog, Education /by Tyler Sanville

BFREE hosted 210 students and instructors through our field courses this season. Groups came from the United States and from within Belize to engage in hands-on learning. While at BFREE, students were introduced to on-going conservation projects at the field station like the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center and the cacao and coffee agroforest. Some students took the opportunity to participate in the Small Mammal Community study established in 2015 and just introduced to field courses this year. They also participated in hikes and river walks to get a feel for the rainforest. For those who stayed long enough, instructors assigned independent projects in which students were tasked with developing research questions and collecting preliminary data – often presenting results on their last evening at BFREE.

When exploring other parts of Belize, students visited banana plantations, participated in cultural homestays, snorkeled at the Belize Barrier Reef, and saw wildlife up close at the Belize Zoo. See below pictures from the first half of the field season.

Visit our Flickr feed for more images!

January

“Eat Locally: Think Globally” led by Amy Treonis and Elizabeth Ransom, University of Richmond

University of Richmond

A fisherman from Placencia describes changes to the area over his lifetime.

“Biology “ led by Glenn Johnson, SUNY Potsdam

SUNY Potsdam learns about cacao fermentation

SUNY Potsdam

“Tropical Ecology and Conservation in Belize” led by Sara Ash, University of the Cumberlands

University of the Cumberlands

U of C students make friends with the kids in their homestay family

U of C students make friends with Golden Steam kids during their homestay. Pic provided by Sara Ash

U of C students learn to safely remove small mammals from sherman traps. Pic provided by Sara Ash

February

“Tropical Ecology” led by Farley Brown and Charlotte Rosendahl, Sterling College

Sterling College visited the packing shed of a local banana farm. Pic by Nelly Cadle

Sterling College leads Golden Stream students in a science experiment. Pic by Nelly Cadle

Sterling College

“Biology” led by Kelly Mahan Etcheverry, Canterbury High School

Canterbury High School – Pic by Roger McDaniel

Canterbury High School taking a break on their hike out. Pic provided by Roger McDaniel

“Protected Areas in Belize,” led by Abigail Parham Garbutt and Godfrey Arzu, Independence Junior College, Belize

Independence Junior College students visit the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center. Pic by Roger McDaniel

Independence Junior College students participate in the small mammal project. Pic by Roger McDaniel

Independence Junior College students participate in the small mammal community study. Pic by Roger McDaniel

March

“Wildlife Biology,” led by Sean Collins, Lees McRae College

Lees-McRae College

Lees-McRae students identify a small mammal

“Tropical field Biology,” led by Sean Werle and team, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Univ of Massachusetts students implemented independent research projects. Pic by Sean Werle

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

April

“Tropical Ecology,” led by Matthew Brady, Keene High School, New Hampshire

Keene High School, New Hampshire

Keene students help harvest cacao pods.

May

“Tropical Biology,” led by Paul Pickhardt and Gregory Smith, Lakeland College, Wisconsin

Lakeland College

Lakeland College students help at the HCRC measuring turtles.

Lakeland harvests cashew fruits during a tour of the BFREE garden and orchard.

June

“Tropical Biology,” led by Maarten Vohhof, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University

“Wings of Hope” premiere in Gainesville, Florida

March 15, 2016/0 Comments/in Bird Conservation, Blog, Research /by Tyler Sanville

In US for BFREE’s home town of Gainesville, Florida our documentary “Wings of Hope” was shown at the 7^th annual Cinema Verde International Film Festival. The festival showcased over 30 films from around the world with a goal “to increase public awareness about environmental practices that enhance public health and that improve the quality of life for all.” The Festival also served as a forum for community organizations, businesses, and citizens to discuss ways to work together to create a sustainable culture.

Juvenile harpy eagle – Photo by Kai Reed

“Wings of Hope,” is a 20-minute documentary that chronicles the re-discovery of a population of wild Harpy Eagles in the Maya Mountains of southern Belize. The documentary showcases the history of the BFREE and University of North Carolina, Wilmington initiative born from this discovery – the Integrated Community-based Harpy Eagle and Avian Conservation Program. Created by Emmy-award winning filmmakers, Richard and Carol Foster of Wildlife Film Productions, and narrated by Jacob Marlin, this film is rich with breath-taking footage of adult and juvenile Harpy eagles and other wildlife and vistas found in the pristine tropical forests of the Bladen Nature Reserve. Over the seven year duration of the project, the Fosters followed project trainees William Garcia, Liberato Pop, Alejandro Cholum and Thomas Pop as they work to learn about and ultimately protect this rare bird and its diminishing habitat.

BFREE was honored to have “Wings of Hope” shown as part of the Cinema Verde International Film Festival at the Hippodrome State Theater. Following the film, BFREE Director Jacob Marlin along with members of the Alachua Audubon Society answered questions from viewers about harpy eagles, migratory birds and how we can all work together to best protect them.

Haven’t seen “Wings of Hope”? Watch it here.

Howler monkeys at BFREE

March 14, 2016/0 Comments/in Blog /by Tyler Sanville

A troop of howler monkeys was recently photographed from the observation tower.

By Jacob Marlin, BFREE Executive Director

Visitors and staff alike at BFREE are regularly serenaded by the sound of the Black howler monkey (Alouatta pigra). This species is conspicuous because their loud vocalizations carry for as many as three miles and they are therefore considered to be the loudest land animal on Earth. Male howler monkeys generally vocalize in order to mark their territory unlike other species that leave their sign with scrapes or scent on the forest floor or on trees. Their roar can be eerie, giving the impression of a large almost prehistoric creature but when seen up close their relatively small size is surprising. At BFREE, their vocalizations often startle visitors awake during the night and create quite an uproar during the day.

Howler monkey troop size ranges from 3-4 to over a dozen individuals with the sex ratio being one to three males to every seven to nine females. We currently have in residence at least seven troops within the immediate vicinity. Over the lifetime of BFREE, howler monkeys have continuously been present yet I have noticed over the past five years they seem to have become more accustomed to the field station and its human presence.

Troops range in size from 3 to over a dozen individuals.

Throughout much of its range the species has been declining due to hunting and habitat destruction. As the country of Belize develops and the pressure on resources increases, the slow but steady movement of humans into howler monkey territory, the species must retreat to sanctuaries where food availability and social structure is safeguarded. The BFREE reserve serves this role for the species and though not intentional has become a sanctuary for this endangered species.

Recently, some of the staff at BFREE observed a newborn Howler monkey had fallen from a tree adjacent to the bunkhouse. We were able to capture the newborn on video. Watch it here.

The Bladen Review – 2015 Edition!

November 13, 2015/0 Comments/in Blog, News /by Tyler Sanville

The third publication of BFREE’s annual magazine, The Bladen Review, is available online in an interactive format on Issuu! Get the latest news around the field station and learn about exciting research projects taking place in the rainforest of Belize.

Note: To view in full screen, click once in the middle of The Bladen Review.

To download a PDF version of The Bladen Review click here .

NYCCT – Study Abroad blog

February 23, 2014/0 Comments/in News /by Tyler Sanville

William Garcia discusses aging bats with NYCCT group

William Garcia discusses how to determine the age of bats with NYCCT group

New York City College of Technology (NYCCT) student, Tasnuva Ahmed, created a blog (Study Abroad – Belize) of her 10-day field course with BFREE in January 2014. Traveling with 4 other architecture students and her professor, Lia Dikigoropoulou, Tasnuva documented all aspects of the group’s experience in Belize with photo and video.

Tasnuva Ahmed videos the Bladen River

Tracking the Weather at BFREE

July 2, 2013/1 Comment/in Blog /by Tyler Sanville

For the past couple of days, BFREE Board Member, Rob Klinger has been working hard to ensure that the weather station onsite is functioning and continues to collect valuable data. Weather and climate are among the most vital data a field station such as BFREE can collect and make available to its users. In 2005, the Norcross Wildlife Foundation provided funding for our present station. Prior to that we had been collecting basic temperature and precipitation data by hand with a high-low thermometer and plastic rain gauge. But increasing needs of researchers, conservation planning, and education groups created the necessity to expand the data we were collecting. Moreover, there were no personnel dedicated to collecting the data, which had the potential to introduce observer variability and gaps in the data. Finally, there was no systematic management of the records or a computer dedicated to be available for researchers and education groups to access the data on-site. The weather station virtually eliminated these problems and, to the best of our knowledge, has enabled us to collect the longest time series of climatic conditions in southern Belize.

WeatherHawk Weather Station

BFREE recently applied to the Norcross Wildlife Foundation again to replace the original weather station – and are thrilled that they awarded us the funds to do an upgrade! Immediate benefits will include continuity in a systematic process for collecting, managing, and accessing short-term weather and long-term climate data. Data on seven weather variables are collected hourly and stored in a logger, then downloaded weekly to a personal computer. Our science staff and groups from several colleges have managed and summarized the annual data as an ongoing, long-term project on climate patterns in the region. Over the last eight years the weather and climate data has been integrated with many ecological research, inventory and monitoring programs. At present, the weather station remains the only permanent one in the southern Maya mountains of Belize, making this the only data on climate patterns in this ecologically significant region.

Thanks to Norcross, Rob Klinger, Steven Brewer and Jamie Rotenberg for their work on the grant and in keeping the station going!

Posts

Haven’t seen “Wings of Hope”? Watch it here.

To download a PDF version of The Bladen Review click here .