Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Turtle-loving travelers heading to Puerto Vallarta in the coming months can join one of the Banderas Bay region's sea turtle many release programs, which help thousands of baby Olive Ridley sea turtles survive long enough to reach the sea.

The Bay of Banderas is home to thousands of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles, whom each year return to the beaches on which they were born to lay their eggs - one of Puerto Vallarta's most visible and interesting ecological cycles.

Last month, sea turtles began laying their eggs on Vallarta beaches as part of the yearly natural phenomenon that lasts through September. Normally the eggs would incubate in the sand, but recreational resort activities now make the beaches dangerous places for baby turtles.

That's why 10 years ago, the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta started a sea turtle conservation program on an 800 meter stretch of the resort's beach. Every night from June through December, the resort staff, under the guidance of renowned biologist Catherine Hart and the municipal's Ecology and Environmental Department, works to gather the eggs and take them, still in their nests, to incubators where researchers gather and study data.

By early November, the baby turtles emerge from their eggs and are ready to be released into the sea. So, every evening, the hatchlings are set free, and the resort's recreational staff takes the opportunity to familiarize participants with the Olive Ridley turtle, explaining their life cycle and physical characteristics, while creating environmental awareness and encouraging others to help save them.

Though the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Sea Turtle Release Program started out with only 183 protected nests, today the resort's incubation area is the largest in the city with a capacity for about 500 nests.

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. To date, the hotel's marine turtle protection and preservation program has released over 293,000 baby hatchlings.

The CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort invites everyone to come and witness this wonder of nature, while participating in the conservation of endangered marine turtles. Without a doubt, to be in such close contact with nature is an unforgettable experience for all ages. For more information, call (322) 226-0000 or 1-800-228-9290 toll free from the US and Canada.