Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The Sea Turtles of Puerto Vallarta Program, La Red Tortuguera AC, and Grupo de Conservación de Especies Maravillosas de Bahía de Banderas AC, recently recognized the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa for its excellent results and collaboration in safeguarding sea turtles.

The Marriott Hotel is celebrating the 12th year of its Sea Turtle Protection program, which started in 2002 with only 183 nests protected. Today, they are pleased to report that as a result of this program, the hotel has released more than 370,000 turtles, and this year's turtle season has only just begun! In 2013 alone, over 36,700 hatchlings were released.

The protection zone on the beach near the CasaMagna Marriott Hotel measures 690m in length and receives about 30% of turtles that nest in Puerto Vallarta. The resort's incubation nursery is the largest in the municipality, with capacity for about 500 nests hatching simultaneously.

Over the last 12 years, the Sea Turtle educational program has become a tradition at the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort, which is part of the hotel's 'Spirit of Service' philosophy. This commendable and entertaining enterprise encourages working together, not only with Puerto Vallarta guests and residents of all ages, but also with national and international universities, organizations and environmental associations.

From June to December, the resort works closely and under the guidance of the renowned biologist Catherine Hart, biologist Odin Benitez of la Red Tortuguera AC, and the authorities of the Ministry of Environment and the Municipal Department of Ecology. CasaMagna Marriott is actively involved in the struggle for the conservation of the Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys Olivacea) turtles, complying with procedures and guidelines established by these authorities and raising awareness in all visitors and local communities about the importance of the conservation of this species.

Every June dozens of turtles arrive to the hotel's beach in the Marina Vallarta complex. Each sea turtle lays an average of 100 eggs, which under natural conditions (without human intervention) remain buried in the sand where they incubate until birth.

CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa, aware that the hotel's recreational activities endanger the eggs welfare, began this protection program. Before the development of programs such as this, only 40% of the eggs that were laid along the shores of Banderas Bay survived, but today, through programs such as this, almost 96% of the eggs deposited are incubated successfully.

Every night from June to December, from 11 pm to 5 am, specialized biologists Catherine Hart, Odin Benitez, and their team conduct patrols on the beach to protect the turtles that come to nest at night, and collect the eggs that are spawned. These are brought to the resort's nursery and after about 45 days of incubation, keeping them in the most natural conditions, the hatchlings are born and are ready to be released into the sea.

Every evening, during the hatchlings release, the staff takes the opportunity to familiarize children and adults with the olive ridley, explaining their life cycle and physical characteristics, while creating environmental awareness and demonstrating preservation initiatives.

A curious fact is that the turtles that are released by the Puerto Vallarta Marriott each year return to the same beach to lay eggs when they reach maturity (10 years). When children find out about this during the discussion previous to the release, their faces fill with wonder. Each child is invited to name their turtle, wish them luck on their journey and then release it on the beach, looking forward to the day (8-10 years later) when they will meet their new friends again. Certainly, being in such close contact with nature is an unforgettable experience for anyone.