Celebrating the Sea Turtle

Weekend festival aims to preserve a natural treasure

With a goal of protecting the endangered sea turtle, an environmental group is planning a weekend festival Nov. 26-28 with events centered around the Monterrico-Hawaii Natural Preserve on Guatemala’s Pacific coast.

Coinciding with peak turtle-nesting season, the Festival de la Tortuga 2010 (Turtle Festival 2010) will feature turtle releases, nature tours, concerts, arts and crafts, a horse show, sporting events, fun activities for children and much more.

There will also be an exhibition of images from the Guatemala Photo Club on Nov. 6-7, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at El Sitio in La Antigua.

The events, as well as a long-term campaign to protect sea turtles, are being organized by the Fundación Eterna Primavera (Eternal Spring Foundation).

Foundation Director Thomas Stutzer said festival organizers hope villagers who have turtle eggs will come to the Nov. 26-28 event and sell them to the environmental group. Stutzer said 80 percent of sea turtle eggs are stolen from Guatemala’s beaches and sold for consumption.

More information: www.festivaldelatortuga.info or to book lodging for the festival see www.visitmonterrico.com