{"id":7413,"date":"2024-10-01T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/turtlesurviva1.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=7335"},"modified":"2025-10-01T06:58:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T10:58:48","slug":"kicking-off-the-8th-annual-hicatee-awareness-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/kicking-off-the-8th-annual-hicatee-awareness-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Kicking Off the 8th Annual Hicatee Awareness Month"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Join us this October as we raise awareness of the endangered turtles of Belize, and ways you can help them this Hicatee Awareness Month!<\/p>\n<p>Hicatee Awareness Month\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bfreebz.org\/hicatee-awareness-month-faq\/\">began in 2017<\/a>\u00a0to draw attention to the status of Belize\u2019s only\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iucnredlist.org\/species\/6493\/97409830\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Critically Endangered<\/mark><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0reptile, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/news\/species-spotlight-central-american-river-turtle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Central American River Turtle (<em>Dermatemys mawii<\/em>)<\/mark><\/strong><\/a>, known locally as the \u201cHicatee\u201d. Eight years later, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bfreebz.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE)<\/mark><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and their NGO international and local partners including Turtle Survival Alliance, Belize Wildlife Referral Clinic, WCS Belize, Community Baboon Sanctuary and Savannah Field Station continue to champion the protection of this turtle and the rivers, lagoons and other freshwater systems it calls home.<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s theme,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bfreebz.org\/belizes-freshwater-turtles-educational-resources\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">\u201cHicatee and Friends,\u201d<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>\u00a0was selected by UB student, Samih Young, and IJC student, Andrew Choco, during their summer jobs at the BFREE Field Station in the Toledo District. As part of their Science and Education Fellowship Program, Young, Choco and their student colleague, Heston Castillo, were assigned to help develop themes and content for the 2024 Hicatee Awareness Month campaign. Because Belize is home to nine species of Freshwater turtles, the theme grew from the idea that the Hicatee isn\u2019t the only turtle that has value or is suffering declining populations in the country.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7452 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Hicatee-Awareness-month-2-1024x768-1.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Hicatee-Awareness-month-2-1024x768-1.webp 1024w, https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Hicatee-Awareness-month-2-1024x768-1-300x225.webp 300w, https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Hicatee-Awareness-month-2-1024x768-1-768x576.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>A local class in Belize celebrates Hicatee Awareness Month with the Science &amp; Education Fellows at the Belize Foundation for Research and Education.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Young and Choco learned about Belize\u2019s turtles during their participation in an annual survey of freshwater turtle species on the BFREE Reserve. This survey is a collaboration with Turtle Survival Alliance and was designed to fill in knowledge gaps for as many Belizean freshwater turtle species as possible. Long-term population demographics including population estimates, survivability over time, sex ratios, density, biomass, and growth are largely unknown for these species.<\/p>\n<p>Young states, \u201cI thought \u2018Hicatee and Friends\u2019 was the best theme this year because, while in the past we have focused on the Hicatee due to its Critically Endangered population status, it is important to recognize and promote knowledge about all of Belize\u2019s turtles. With knowledge comes power and through this theme, we aim to empower people by sharing information about all nine species of freshwater turtles, encouraging a deeper understanding and connection to our entire ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With the new theme and new materials, BFREE is collaborating with Independence Junior College, University of Belize\u2019s Environmental Club, and Sacred Heart Junior College so that students, \u201cHicatee Ambassadors,\u201d are the ones implementing the outreach events using materials created by the Hicatee Awareness Month planning committee and collaborators. This month, BFREE and its student collaborators have over 15 school and community presentations scheduled during October.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7424 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1350\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-1.png 1350w, https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-1-300x240.png 300w, https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-1-1024x819.png 1024w, https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1-1-768x614.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1350px) 100vw, 1350px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>From left: BFREE Fellows Heston Castillo, Andrew Choco and Samih Young. Andrew holds an adult Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii), known locally as the \u201cHicatee\u201d.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jaren Serano, BFREE\u00a0<em>Dermatemys\u00a0<\/em>Program Coordinator states, \u201cThis month-long event plays a vital role in fostering community participation and enhancing the effectiveness of conservation efforts for the critically endangered Central American River Turtle. By dedicating time to raising awareness of the species\u2019 status, the initiative helps inform local communities about the Hicatee\u2019s cultural and ecological significance. Hicatee Awareness Month serves as an opportunity to strengthen the connection between conservation, cultural heritage, and community-driven action. This makes it an essential tool for promoting the long-term survival of this unique species as well as all freshwater turtles in Belize.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The first event will take place on Wednesday, October 2<sup>nd<\/sup>\u00a0at 3:00 PM EST, and will be hosted by the University of Belize. This presentation by Mr. Jaren Serano is entitled\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BFREEBZ\/posts\/122166178238126570?rdid=nbmtOCG6l9nzp1vI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">\u201cTen Years of Conservation Work Originating from the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center (HCRC)\u201d<\/mark><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and will be accessible virtually. Get the full details\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/GFiNSx8jVtyTCfu2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">here!<\/mark><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow us on\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BFREEBZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Facebook<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<mark class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bfreebz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/mark>\u00a0for information on more events happening during this October\u2019s month-long celebration, and how you can help Belize\u2019s turtles.<\/p>\n<p><em>Header image: A Juvenile Hicatee at the Hicatee Conservation &amp; Research Center.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>All Photos Courtesy of Heather Barrett, BFREE.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Join us this October as we raise awareness of the endangered turtles of Belize, and ways you can help them this Hicatee Awareness Month! Hicatee Awareness Month\u00a0began in 2017\u00a0to draw attention to the status of Belize\u2019s only\u00a0Critically Endangered\u00a0reptile, the\u00a0Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii), known locally as the \u201cHicatee\u201d. Eight years later, the\u00a0Belize Foundation for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7451,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Kicking Off the 8th Annual Hicatee Awareness Month - Turtle Survival Alliance<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/turtlesurvival.org\/kicking-off-the-8th-annual-hicatee-awareness-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kicking Off the 8th Annual Hicatee Awareness Month - Turtle Survival Alliance\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Join us this October as we raise awareness of the endangered turtles of Belize, and ways you can help them this Hicatee Awareness Month! 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