When the sun hangs into the middle of the sky, beaming down on your skin through the thick humid atmosphere, you realize that despite how little you may be doing- how much the heat can sap your energy. You may be hungry, but you don't feel like eating. You may have blog posts to write, videos and photos to process- and though it nags at your mind, the hum of the cicadas through the hazy, humid heat keeps you from being of any sound mind to do so. All you feel that you could possibly do pray for the air to begin to stop being so static as you fall into some heat induced fever sleep. Even then you'd be lucky to actually get a wink of sleep. With a constant dew of your own sweat coating your skin and anything you perchance to lay on for more than a minute, all you can really do is focus on trying to survive.
Ok. Maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but stuck in the heat with no escape short of waiting it out, your mind begins to extrapolate. But for someone accustomed to the dry heat and AC from the US, a tropical summer can seem but a lower level of hell. For these reasons, we chose to do our work in the mornings, take a long siesta during the heat of the day, and begin our rounds again once the intense heat begins to subside. Our quarry this time, the endangered yellow headed parrots of Belize. Luckily, for the first time in my wildlife film career, i wasn't the only one pointing my camera around. I had two other filmmakers to work with, relate with, and learn from. What's more, Alejandro and Alex had asked for my help in filming a feature length documentary on the Yellow Headed Parrots and their conservation. It helped that I had a zoom lens worthy of calling it a 'cannon', a 600mm sniper lens that I've been slowly mastering- coming in really handily in this line of work despite it's difficult-to-pack size. We made fast friends on our way to Rio Bravo, realizing we had quite a lot in common, and hoped to be able to call on eachother in the future. As far as I am aware, of all the photographers and filmmakers in the world, it's hard to find many people willing to subjugate themselves (or their expensive gear) to the harsh conditions we would face out in the field. Once we had finally arrived, we made some short introductions to the rangers and other volunteers, and after a nights sleep the real work began. Having spent a few weeks out of my summer two years ago doing much the same for the Scarlet Macaws, I more or less knew what to expect when I contacted Charles Britt, a conservationist spearheading our efforts both with the Macaws and the Yellow headed Parrots. This time however, in contrast to the broadleaf jungle I had come to expect whenever I came to work in Belize, I found myself in the Pine Savannah of Rio Bravo, a private conservation reserve- closer to the center of the country. Through old connects, I had managed to not only work myself into volunteering with the Yellowheads, but working with two other filmmakers from FilmShark Media. Dotted with Carribbean Pine, long grasses and ferns, it struck me as somewhat familiar territory to places in Colorado- sans the mountains and occasional snow, and of course with the addition of humidity, small bushy palms, and of course the reason I was there, Parrots. Though not as big nor striking as the Scarlet Macaws, the Yellowheaded parrots are incredibly beautiful and charismatic birds. They are incredibly intelligent, and very charismatic- yelling and calling out to each other as we would drive the ranger's ATV up to check the nests. Admittedly, they are all pretty pissed that we are violating their privacy by checking up on their chicks, but something we deem as necessary in order to monitor which nests have been or in threat of being poached. To me it seemed as if they were just laughing at me, trying to get a cool video of them they would spy my camera, wait for me to just nearly get ready to take the shot before flying off before i could get anything. Those bastards... don't they know I was there to help them!? I suppose not, at this point they are likely more used to people climbing to their homes to steal their precious chicks. Poaching here is as much as a problem as it has been with the Scarlet Macaws. Yellowheads are very intelligent, and I suppose by that standard, people expect them to make good pets. They can mimic speech, and like all parrots, bond for life to their partner. Because of this, Yellow Headed parrots have been sought after for as long as people have been interested in pet parrots. What bugs me about this, is there the reasons we choose to keep parrots as pets are reasons that by human standards we would call unethical. They are smart, they bond for life, and most of the time will outlive their owners. It isn't hard to determine if a nest has been poached. The first indication is the most obvious: the chicks are gone. But that often isn't the only indication, after all- it could be that the chicks were predated by a hawk, spiny tailed iguana, or something else just trying to feed it's own babies. Often the most clear sign is a big wound in the tree, hacked by a machete as the poachers needed to cut a hole in order to retrieve their live bounty. Yellow Heads nest in tree cavities, and re-use the same nests as the years pass. These cavities are deep enough that a trifling human arm can't simply reach down and pull the chicks, so a poacher will simply hack their own entry way to pull the chicks. The terror those chicks must experience as their home, all they've known in their short lives, is hacked open before one by one they are chick-napped, is something I can't even bring myself to imagine. And for them, it's just begun before they are smuggled across the world for peachy pet owner's awaiting their new parrot to arrive. If it reads as though there is any spite in my tone in that last sentence, you wouldn't be wrong. For a species so concerned with the social justice of their own kind, we seem to have overlooked others who don't have a voice, or a clue of the dealing of humans, to speak out on their own. Whether bred or stolen from wild parents, parrots are not cut out to be pets. In between my time in the field at Rio Bravo, I spent an evening at the Belize Bird Rescue in Belmopan. When a nest was determined to be in high risk of poaching, we would attempt to have the chicks pulled to be raised in a safer environment. Once we got the go ahead, we would take these equally terrified chicks to the bird resuce. Run by a charming couple, we spent a few hours meeting the birds, learning their stories, and of course clicking away with my camera. It was easy then to see how these cute, social animals are very desirable at first. Afterword's, we began chatting about the issue of pet parrots. After four bottles of Belizean rum, we all started to get a bit moved about the topic. In between drunken bouts of arguing over music, Nikki and Jerry informed me that many of the birds they had been pets of which the owners simply couldn't deal with anymore. It's very akin to the story of the Christmas puppy; abandoned after it gets a little too big and a little too obnoxious. With very little consideration to the parrot, a social and monogamously bonding creature who was maybe just a bit too sexually frustrated, maybe a bit too loud, maybe at bit too playful, people dumped their parrots off at the rescue. Many of these birds don't even know what they are, and remain unsocial with other parrots. All concepts lost upon those more concerned with impressing their friends with the standard "Polly want a cracker?" bit... To wake up every morning and play the mate, the mother, and often times the arch nemesis of many of these birds, Nikki and Jerry have more patience than most people could ever dream of. Suddenly I was back in Rio Bravo, sharpening my dulled machete and putting on my melted boots from fighting a fire just the day before. (It's amazing how many one day jobs i've acquired in my time in Belize. I've spent a few hours as a vet, bus conductor, but mechanic, bartender, poacher chaser, swallow rescuer, and now a fireman. If only I could credit those all to a resume...) We wake up with the birds, before the heat. Before 6AM rolls around, three volunteers and one ranger all pile on a single ATV and begin to make our rounds. Climbing trees, getting yelled at by both baby chicks who aren't a fan of the camera flash, and their annoyed parents. Luckily, we move fast as to beat the sun and not to disturb the parents... but not every venture is a victory. Each trip, we have less and less nests to check. Some have fledged, some have been predated, and as the machete marks make clear, some have been poached. As one of the other volunteers told me, one of the most heartbreaking moments is finding a nest doing well previously having been recently poached. Even worse, is bearing witness to the parents flying up with food only to find their children have been taken from them. They may not speak our language, but the distress is clear. As of now, the rainy season has just begun. The heat has been back and forth in between rains, and the parrots are slowly fledging. Our season here is quickly wrapping up, as of this post- only one week remains in our time at Rio Bravo, meaning all the jokes the other volunteers and I have been spinning around will soon be funny just to us, and we'll go our separate ways to do good in the world elsewhere (or so we can only hope.) The conversations, fluctuating between conservation issues and talking crap about the many many bugs whom we are currently waging war with (with the rainy season came the bugs)... I will miss them the most. It seems anymore it's rare to be surrounded with people of such like mind. Hopefully we will all stay connected, thought it's hard when you seek jobs that put you at the edge of civilization- somehow I know we'll find comfort in knowing we are all still out their fighting the good fight. There are some 15 nests left. Enough for another week or two of tree climbing and, hopefully they will all lead to successful fledglings. But there is only so much we can do- short of resources, man power, and distance... it is hard to know just when and where a poacher will strike. So for the mean time, we continue to do our best to protect these birds. But the fight isn't just about having boots on the ground. Where there no market for these birds, perhaps things could be different... As it stands, there is always more work to be done. Apologies! This post was meant to have some pretty pictures, after all that is what I'm here to do! Unfortunately, im rather pressed for time and internet, so this quick post was all i've been able to manage.
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Hey everyone! Apologies this entry has taken longer than promised: between my unstable internet, sickening backlog of video and stills to filter through, and trying to wrap my head around this experience it has taken longer than I thought to type up. Also, Blogger is proving so far to be an incredibly frustrating word processor, and has chosen to highlight my entire wall of text- so bear with the ugly formatting, and enjoy!
Holec (Part II) _________________________________________________ When you are surrounded by such a grandiose landscape; towering ceiba trees, mist rolling through the hills, and entrenched on all sides by deep jungle, your perception of the scale of things begins to change. No longer are you in the world of a concrete jungle- light is fast soaked up by the harshly competitive leaves of the upper canopies, leaving you in the dark forest below. Trees you may consider large by your standards are small in contrast to the emergent's of the canopy forest, some of who's trunks are as large as a car. The thickness of the jungle too, ensures that a path looks much different in dark vs light, or coming one way vs returning the other. Imagine then, the sensation of clearing towering slopes through this alien terrain and finding yourself so suddenly on the precipice of the untouched sinkhole. The largest of the Holec Sinkholes, and the goal of our expedition, the Nohoch Chen Sinkhole drops off at an average of 450 feet deep, and some 650 feet in diameter. Because of the isolated nature of the jungle at the bottom, the sinkhole offers a gradient of unique conditions for fauna and flora to explore- but for many species which may be inside the sinkhole without wings, there is no way out. Before too long sitting on the cliff, the sun began to set over the end of the sinkhole. Seeing as our camp was on the base of the mountain on the East side, we hurried back down before the light was completely drained on the far end of the hill. There would be plenty of time to explore and bask in the vastness of the sinkhole over the next week. The next morning I awoke bright and early to the calls of melee parrots and our camp's hand, Joey's call for coffee. In an expedition with some 20 people coffee becomes a particularly scarce resource, so it is important to make sure you are in the front of the line before the kettle has been emptied (the distribution of coffee is not democratic). Sore and groggy from rolling logs off the road the day before, I rolled myself out of my particularly uncomfortable position in my hammock and trudged over to the camp to fill my cup. It was there that we began to sort out our affairs for the day, where I volunteered to follow our resident botanists, Bruce Holst and Ella Baron to the second sinkhole on the far west side of Nohoch Chen... slightly smaller, but you don't need ropes or harnesses to get in thanks to a collapsed wall. An enthusiastic pair, Bruce is an incredible specimen of botanical knowledge from Florida's Marie Selby Botanical Gardens where he is the director of Botany. Ella does local work in Belize as director of Caves Branch Botanical Garden in Cayo district. - together they were a botanical force to be reckoned with. Bruce and Ella are working on collaborative project to inventory Epiphytes and their hosts in Belize, which will help to close the gaps in the existing knowledge of epiphytes of Belize. Armed with an extendable scythe like collecting pole and an encyclopedic knowledge of vegetation, and me with my camera we set off to the second sinkhole Progress is slow working with the botany team when it seems every epiphyte catches their eye for a sample and analysis. I didn't mind, the slow paced action is easy on a filmmaker, and beyond that it let me explore the area without the fear of being left behind. Finally we descended into the hole, quickly finding it to have a small stream of surface gnarly water leaking into a small cave opening in the limestone. The wet conditions and mottled light of the bottom of this sinkhole made it an excellent habitat for many ferns, and as we traversed back up to the edge of the wall Bruce noted the conditions began to become somewhat more arid. Progress continued as normal after a quick lunch- canned tuna, bread, and of course some of Belize's famous hot sauce. As the team filtered through the lianas and peperomias, I made fast friends with the army ants snapping pictures after nearly sitting on them. Suddenly Bruce called out behind me in excitement... scientists are a joy to be around when they are in the field- something about an exciting discovery that inspires a moment of childlike, pure wonderment. Rushing over to Bruce with Ella who had been cataloging another plant behind me, I began rolling the film as he began to describe to me the excitement of finding in this sinkhole a relative of the passion fruit, this one had climbed all the way down on the taproots of a tree far above on the wall. This one was unique for it's bat wing shaped leaf, and even more so for it's tiny tiny flower, which couldn't be more than the size of a US quarter. We made several other interesting discoveries in the sinkhole, from an enormous ceiba tree, to another tree only seen to Bruce before as a vine- quite a change! On the way back to camp, the botany team took near the same pace. Though the path was the same, the direction was different- and new vegetation constantly came into view through the dense jungle, but eventually we made it back to camp following the tapir tracks with several bags filled with plants. Though the better part of my workday was now over with the light leaving, Bruce and Ella's work was far from over. After a quick rest, I found them back hard at work filtering through a collection of white shaman bags filled to the brim with specimens, trusty dichotomous keys at their sides. They would remain like this from the moment they arrived back at camp until far past every other expedition member's bedtime. As a documentary filmmaker, I've learned you really have to be dedicated to your work to lug not only your daypack & food, but tripod and camera gear through the hot dense, and often prickly jungle. Yet I am still amazed at the dedication shown by these botanists in the pursuit of science. To everyday hike through dense jungle up mountains, collecting seemingly damn near every plant they see (and throwing themselves into danger to do so- I heard a story of Bruce , climbing onto a rotting log hanging off the open cliff face of Nohoch chen for an epiphyte), lugging all these very delicate specimens back through the jungle in a less-then backable pack on top of their personal packs, through deadly venomous snakes (Ella managed to run into 2 Fer-de-Lance and another jumping pit viper), and on top of it all working tirelessly through the night through ticks and thorns and the maze that is dichotomous keys... you have to love what you do. It is clear that this pair does, and now that we are out of the jungle, their work has only begun. It will take months, years for them to process, grow, and identify all the some 350 unique plants collected on this expedition- and they already want to go back to the sinkhole. Belize is home to a vast, lush, and healthy stretch of broad leaf forest known as the Chiquibul National Park. When combined with the entire Chiquibul Forest and Cave system, this area makes up roughly 7% of Belize's landmass, and houses a large wealth of natural resource for Belize. On my first trip into the Chiquibul with it's resident guardians, the FCD Rangers [Friends for Conservation & Development], it became very apparent to me that the health and resource of this precious jungle were under attack- first hand (You can read that entry here). We found litter, deforestation, logging, poaching, and even a group of Xatero- someone harvesting Xate, or Fish tail palm, to sell for flower arrangements. After witnessing this destruction to this key area of conservation in Central America, I launched a campaign in order to return to Belize.
Much of Belize and the greater of Central America sit on a large bed of limestone, a very porous and soft stone, easily eroded in rainy conditions. With this limestone karst region, the area is famous for features such as caves, sinkholes, and cenotes- most notably being the Chiquibul Cave System and of course the objective of our expedition: the Holec Sinkholes. Packs full of food, water, expedition equipment, and of course the Camera gear I acquired from my supporters on gofundme (thanks guys) we left FCD's Tapir Camp and headed deeper into the protected zone. The ride in on the tractor was much softer than I remembered it on the last trip, and luckily the road continued further on. Because of this, and the scope of the expedition, the team decided to bring along with us a heavy duty trailer behind the tractor for eventual long term camp. Through the deep mud ruts and steep hills, we managed to trudge to the end of the road before jumping off- we would have to cut our own road from there, but for the night we set up camp rather than continue on in the dark. The next morning we were up bright and early. Fueled by oats, powdered milk, and most importantly coffee we set out, one team ahead clearing the best path while another stayed back with the tractor to clear any trees to big for the others to cut with a machete. Along the way, one of the expedition members put their boot only inches away from a coiled jumping pit viper- Luckily it was a cool morning and a very lazy snake, though nonetheless dangerous. Before the darkness overtook the under story of the canopy, a team was sent down an old xatero trail to find water. Their return to the camp hailed more than just murky water- but with news that the gathering crew went straight through a maya plaza with at least 10 structures. This was ultimately exciting news, however not unlike much of the Chiquibul, not untouched by invaders to the jungle. Many of the structures had deep gouges, and a garbage littered camp atop the plaza. Obvious evidence that someone had been there since the Maya, robbing them of any jade treasures and Belize of it's cultural history. Before we left, I was able to snag an interview with one of the FCD expedition members who informed me that this was a common occurrence.Yet another threat brought by those crossing the Guatemalan border into the Chiquibul illegally I hadn't even been aware of. It took us several more days to clear the old logging roads, filled with more traced of illegal activities in the national park. Despite it all, we finally made it to the base of the hill underneath our final goal. Quickly I set up my hammock and took a swig of treated bog water before I rushed up the hill, following the pink flagging tape the forwarding team had placed leading to the rim. Seeing as how I never made it to the sinkhole on my first trip, I was anxious to see it for myself. After climbing up maya terracing and through a plaza, I found myself right on the dropoff standing atop the some 500 foot cliff face. (To be continued...) _____________________________________ Sorry for leaving you guys on a literal clffhanger- but be sure to check back for the next updated of our adventure within the week! And as always: like, share, and subscribe to Scarlet Studios for further updates. We've made it back from the expedition, and it was a sure success. The Holec Sinkhole was stunning alone, not to mention the rare species of falcons and maya ruins inside. A team of 20 members from FCD rangers to coordinaters, biologist and botanists to of course, camera guys. It was an incredible experience to document and explore the sinkhole - now all that's left is to sort through the footage. Should be easy, right? Because it's going to take me some time to sort through the findings into a presentable manner, and to wrap my own head around the trip, I plan on doing several entries to better share my experience with you guys. I want to give a big shout-out to everyone who's helped me achieve this seemingly mountainous task. It would have been possible without your support for me, and the conservation of the Chiquibul, and I am infinitely grateful. With a jungle sprawling 1,073 km2, The Chiquibul National Forest is Belize’s largest national park and remains a wildlife corridor for much of Belize’s wildlife. On any given day, one can find real treasures ranging from ancient mahogany trees scraping the clouds, a thriving population of Jaguar, deep cenotes filled with untold mysteries, quam trees filled with families of Scarlet Macaw feeding off the cahoon nuts, large crocodiles looming just below the water’s surface, and tapir lumbering through the understory. But despite the Chiquibul being a large wildlife corridor for these natural wonders, they unfortunately do not go untouched by human contact
As a biology student and first time traveller to Belize’s natural three canopy forest, I had just only completed a course in tropical ecology and environmental conservation and was ready to see it for myself. Luckily enough I was invited to join in a small expedition with the rangers of the Chiquibul, Friends for Conservation and Development [FCD] to the unexplored Holec Cenote in the heart of the Chiquibul near the Guatemalan border. I was enthralled by the constant motion of the jungle around me, too finally see for myself what I had been gruelling over in the classroom earlier in the year. Yet as our group neared the Belize-Guatemalan border, I noticed a fast change in the atmosphere of the supposedly untouched jungle. Signs of any wildlife became scarce, and cleared,, maintained paths intertwined throughout the trees- even the birds had fallen silent. Before I entered the jungle on this expedition, I had heard about many of the problems the national park was facing. With the installation of the Chalillo Dam on the Macal River, the ecology of the park along the river has made it’s way to a steady recovery- however not without facing other challenges along the way… developments along the river, littering, poaching of exotic birds, and the incursion of Belize’s natural resources through the Guatemalan Border- mainly Xatero harvesting Xate leaf, or fish tail palm. I had heard of these issues, but had seen no evidence for myself. I could only assume it was a somewhat under control. It wasn’t until I saw for myself what was happening that I realized how serious the issue was. Belize and Guatemala have been at odds for quite some time. The Belizean–Guatemalan territorial dispute is an unresolved binational territorial dispute between the states of Belize and Guatemala, neighbours in Central America. The territory of Belize has been claimed in whole or in part by Guatemala since 1940, and their claim continues today, despite Belize’s recognition as an independent country to the rest of the world. Guatemala, divided into 22 territories, regards Belize as the 23- there is even an empty seat in the governmental building with Belize’s name on it. While there is no public, formalized threat on Belize by Guatemala’s claim, the steady influx of xatero and other guatemalans crossing illegally into Belize through the 241.5 km (150 miles) border directly into the Chiquibul proves to be just as potent a threat. Not soon after finding our first logging site, our group began to pass through areas with clear human disturbance to the jungle: the great mahogany trees felled and hauled out for lumber, wrappers and empty energy drinks littered the ground- the most shocking however were the literal red flags, marking out plots of the jungle to be sold. The threat lies in the nested opportunities these invaders find. The Xatero come in steadily harvesting Xate leaves- there is a plentiful supply, creating a relatively steady flow of income by selling to the flower arranging communities. Through the paths the Xatero clear follow through those with bigger goals- loggers widen the trails to make way for horses and mules to drag their stolen timber back to Guatemala. With these now large sections of the Chiquibul cut with paths, others cross over and begin to mark off plots of land to sell as Guatemalan land. Any wildlife they come across along the way can fall prey to these invaders, for use in the illegal pet trade, or simply just bush meat. Being raised in the United States by my very ecologically minded parents, it was very hard for me to understand the reasoning behind the steady destruction of such a diverse and important forest. Was there no value in the inherent beauty, diversity, and natural resource the Chiquibul offered? Even from a practical standpoint- the forest offers a large set of benefits ranging from biological study & ecotourism to diversity and carbon sequestration. In speaking with the members of FCD who accompanied us on our mission, the issue became even more complicated. Guatemala’s poverty line sits at a very uncomfortable rate, roughly 50% (53% according to the World Bank Database, 2011[1]) of the population falls below this line, & many of the villages falling near the border are included in this figure. “Scholars have found a variety of motivations for poaching, including people: struggling to comply with hunting laws because they do not understand them (legal ambiguity), or they think the laws are unjust; continuing traditional hunting, despite new strains on wildlife populations; poaching for subsistence needs; preferring, rather than needing, meat; facing stress and boredom caused by unemployment; participating in recreational hunts or trophy poaching; and seeking commercial gain or acting upon monetary greed.”-Katherine Groff, Mark Axelrod (2013)[2] This scope of this issue had begun to realize in my mind, but nothing solidified my understanding for the immediate need of intervention then seeing Xatero first hand. Nearing base of our final destination of the expedition, we had began to run low on water. Oddly enough, the rain forest was bone dry in the middle of the wet season, the lower canopy was wilted all the water vines could spout was dust. After trudging some 6 km through the jungle on limited water, we definitely began to feel the heat. In our thirst, we decided to send half our team to the sinkhole to prospect water, while I stayed behind with another member and a ranger to set up base camp. Only several minutes later, a whistling sounded through the jungle- distinct from the few bird calls in the forest. The ranger quickly motioned at us to get low before creeping towards the path only several meters below as a group of roughly 6 Xatero began walked into the clearing with 2 sickly looking pack horses, whistling and chatting as they went. Moments passed before the ranger stood with shotgun raised, firing a warning shot below them- and they were gone in a flash, high tailing it in various directions. An hour or so later, we rendezvoused with the other party who had ventured to the sinkhole, who too had encountered several xatero on their hike back to camp. After discussing the situation with the rangers, we learned that this wasn’t a unique experience. It was not by sheer chance we happened to encounter these poachers, and it would not be the last time. What was incredibly shocking to me was not the poachers themselves, but that several of them couldn’t be more than 12 years old. With the rates of poverty so high, many of these xatero are forced into these illegal activities, and at a young age. Now, months later I have returned to Belize. We are preparing for an expedition of two weeks to the same Holec Cenote in order to explore the sinkhole for the first time, and to document the natural wonders of the Chiquibul National Forest. Our hope is to create a film in order to express the importance of the Chiquibul and all it’s wildlife for not just Belize, but the world. These issues are not unique to Belize either, illegal trading, deforestation, and hunting plague many of the fleeting natural world we have left, however we have a responsibility to clean up the mess caused by our own kind to our mother Earth. It is an uphill battle and can’t be finished overnight, work needs to be put in on both sides- social justice and economic aid to Guatemala, and a large conservation effort on behalf of Belize. FCD and others will continue to fight for the Chiquibul, but only so much can be done without outside support. To show your support for the issue, please visit Friends for Conservation and Development’s web page (http://www.fcdbelize.org/), learn more about the issue, and donate! For a more in depth experience of this expedition, please see the article written by accomplished photographer and member of the expedition Tony Rath here: https://tonyrath.exposure.co/belize-is-at-war And as always, like, share, and subscribe to Scarlet Studios for further updates. www.facebook.com/filmscarlet Works Cited: 1: http://data.worldbank.org/country/guatemala 2: Groff K, Axelrod M. A Baseline Analysis of Transboundary Poaching Incentives in Chiquibul National Park, Belize. Conservat Soc [serial online] 2013 [cited 2015 Jan 24];11:277-90. Available from: http://www.conservationandsociety.org/text.asp?2013/11/3/277/121031 |
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AuthorNickolas Lormand is a recent graduate of New Mexico Highlands University (spring 2016) in film and biology. For the past 3 years, he has been working towards the conservation of Belize’s many parrots and other diverse wildlife species. Since his first journey to Belize in 2013, Nickolas has been a wildlife conservationist, photographer, and filmmaker with the aim of sharing Belize’s uniquely beautiful country & it’s inhabitants. It is his goal to bring awareness to conservation efforts in Belize and across the world where species are being threatened. Having worked with several conservation based organizations Nickolas hopes to have a long future in protecting Belize’s natural wonders. In the future, he hopes to continue his education with an advanced degree in avian ecology to further his passion with the outdoors and it’s inhabitants. ArchivesCategories |