Territorial Volunteers return to Sarstoon for first Eco-Challenge race

The Belize Territorial Volunteers are organizing a first-of-its-kind competition in which kayakers will paddle from Barranco Village to Sarstoon River, circle once around Sarstoon Island and then return to the coastal community.  The eco-challenge is scheduled for this Saturday and an open call has been made for interested persons sign up and take part in the event.  With the ease of tension between Belize and Guatemala at the southern border, organizer Wil Maheia says the purpose of the challenge is to raise awareness of all occurrences within the area.

Wil Maheia, Founder, BTV

Wil Maheia

“This weekend I think a lot of planning went into it, it’s called an eco-challenge because of the ecological importance of the area.  As you know, the area is rich with natural resources and that’s why it attracts a lot of illegal fishing because it’s rich for exploitation.  So the idea is to bring more awareness to that area and also, of course, to keep an eye on the border and ensure that we cover all 8867 square miles.  So we’re going to do this challenge and it’s going to be more than just an eco-challenge, it’s going to be more like a family day where you can come down to Barranco.  There will be a football marathon, there will be a peace concert, there will be a band, there will be Garifuna drummers and of course the main event of the day will be kayaking that will take place from Barranco to Sarstoon Island, around the island and back to Barranco.  So we expect that that race will take between two and three hours, depending on the weather of course and I think it’s going to be a fun-filled day.  A lot of people have signed up for the race and we will take people up until 8:30 Saturday morning.  So if you want to come, bring your kayak or your canoe and you can still do that.”