Wildlife Initiatives - Carolyn M. Miller

Current Projects:

• Small Mammal Diversity
• Ecological Assessments
• Habitat Change

Ecological Assessments

The Golden Stream Corridor in southern Belize's Toledo District has long been an important conservation target both within the country of Belize and within the international conservation community. Its key location between the Caribbean Sea and the Maya Mountains offer a mosaic of unbroken habitat that is not duplicated elsewhere in the country. Surrounded by Ketchi Maya communities, it is believed that protection of this area by a consortium of conservation interests spearheaded by Belize Lodge and Excursions, has resulted in a protected area unusually rich in wildlife.

As members of both the Belize conservation community as well as the international conservation community, conservation biologists Dr. Bruce Miller and Carolyn Miller have lived and worked in Belize since 1986. Their diverse background includes biodiversity surveys in and around the most of Belize's protected areas. Their worked has ranged from landscape and risk assessments for birds and for the past ten years Bruce has specialized on bats, while Carolyn has specialized in camera-trapping and large cats.

Under the auspices of Virginia Polytechnical University's Conservation Management Institute (http://fwie.fw.vt.edu), the Millers will conduct bird surveys, bat surveys and initiate camera-trapping for a preliminary presence-absence study of large and medium sized mammals in the Boden Creek Reserve where Belize Lodge and Excursions is based. Over the next year, they will complete an evaluation of the area with recommendations for future directions and actions to protect and enhance this area into the future.

As the project gets underway over the next months, check this space for updates.