To raise awareness about the importance of conserving the ecosystem that supports the winter migration of white pelicans at Lake Chapala, the government of Michoacán is promoting the 14th Biocultural Festival, set to take place from February 21 to 23.
At a press conference last week, Michoacán Culture Secretary Tamara Sosa explained that the festival aims to strengthen ties between cultural, environmental and academic sectors for the benefit of 20 municipalities within the Río Lerma-Chapala watershed region.
María Isabel González, coordinator of the Lerma-Chapala Cultural Network, noted that this year’s festival will feature activities proposed by each participating municipality, including thematic murals, dance and music performances and exhibitions. Additionally, conferences will cover topics such as water resources, biodiversity, the ecological significance of pelicans in the lake’s ecosystem, and local history. For the first time, Chapala has been invited to take part.
Festival program details will be announced in each locality by next weekend.
The festival’s main headquarters will be Cojumatlán de Régules, a municipality on the lake’s southern shore. Its fish packing industry on Petatán Island draws massive flocks of the large aquatic birds, known locally as pelícanos borregones.
Cojumatlán Mayor Janitzio Mújica Manzo expressed gratitude to the state government for its support in promoting pelican conservation. Each year, these birds migrate south from the United States, Canada, and Greenland, creating a spectacle comparable to the Monarch butterfly migration. It is estimated that more than 20,000 borregones take refuge in Lake Chapala’s mild climate between November and March.