On March 26th at 8:30 p.m. local time, Blancaneaux Lodge joined the global effort of five million supporters in more than 128 countries for Earth Hour 2011. The goal? To turn off all lights for 60 minutes as a sign of a commitment to a sustainable future. To smoothly accomplish this, Blancaneaux Lodge offered a candlelight dinner to all guests with local Marimba artists and invited local folktale author David Ruiz.

All lights were successfully shut down at precisely 8:30 p.m., just as Ruiz began a presentation on the evolution of Belizean literature. Ruiz also gave a reading from his new book, "Under the Yaax che Tree - Legends, Tales and Apparitions in Western Belize."

Guests at Blancaneaux Lodge attend an outdoor candlelight dinner and reading during Earth Hour on March 26, 2011.

Our three Central America resorts have all received new tour vehicles in a continuing effort to create an outstanding guest experiences across all our services, equipment and facilities.

Blancaneaux Lodge and Turtle Inn in Belize have each received two vans (Toyota Hiaces to Blancaneaux, Nissan Urvans to Turtle Inn), with one Hyundai van going to La Lancha in Guatemala. The delivery of the new vans will elevate the comfort and quality of our vehicle fleets, providing guests with an even better tour experience.

Above: One of Blancaneaux Lodge's new Toyota Hiaces.

Ryan Phillips of Belize Raptor Research Institute (BRRI), with support from Blancaneaux Lodge's Roni Martinez and Eddie Tzib, has successfully captured and radio tagged one female and one male Stygian Owl (pictured right) at two separate locations in the Mountain Pine Ridge.

The female, who was tagged first, was followed for two days. She moved around low branches and her movements indicated that she may have been scouting for a nest site. Her movements have been recorded by GPS in order to getter a better understanding of the use of roost and hunting sites.

Phillips will be posting an update on the capture and monitoring via the Belize Raptor Research Institute website now that he is on his way back to the United States. Learn more at http://www.belizeraptorresearch.org/.