The people, decisions and protected places that shaped more than five decades of conservation.
BAS’s 2019 anniversary film looks back at its conservation work and community partnerships. This archive entry opens on YouTube; its embedded player is currently unavailable.
Belize Audubon Society
Audio and any available captions come from the original publisher.
The story began with volunteers and birdwatching. BAS’s published timeline follows its growth into a national conservation organization.
Founded on February 6, 1969 as a chapter of the Florida Audubon Society; first AGM in 1970; first Christmas Bird Count in 1972; independent Belizean organization in 1973.
BAS’s timeline records advocacy for the National Parks Systems Act and Wildlife Protection Act in 1981, Half Moon Caye’s natural-monument designation in 1982, and formal government co-management authorization and Crooked Tree’s establishment in 1984.
Cockscomb Basin and St. Herman’s became protected areas in 1986. The first James A. Waight Award ceremony followed in 1987; Guanacaste became a national park in 1990.
Blue Hole was designated a natural monument in 1996. Crooked Tree received Ramsar recognition and Victoria Peak became a natural monument in 1998.
Marine monitoring began in 2003. Organizational restructuring in 2011–2014 formalized conservation, communications and human resources programs. Boat to Boat outreach began in 2012. Nature School welcomed more than 3,000 children to St. Herman’s in 2014. BAS celebrated 50 years in 2019.
The award remembers a BAS founding member and its first president, recognizing people or organizations for contributions to Belize’s environment. The 2024 Annual Report records the 38th award, presented posthumously to Matthew Miller, founder of Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and Tobacco Caye Marine Station.
Read the 2024 award story ↗Founding member Dora Weyer designed the emblem. It depicts a magnificent frigatebird pursuing a red-footed booby for its catch: a wildlife encounter associated with Half Moon Caye, where both species nest. The emblem connects the Society’s identity with the wildlife it helps protect.
Based on BAS’s published pages and reports, reviewed November 8, 2026. Historical projects and figures retain their dates. Original documents are available in the resource library. Browse the library →
