White Lake Turtle Festival & Lake Stewardship Fundraiser
Cruz the tortoise (photo credit WLRA)
Sandpit (photo credit WLRA)
By Kathleen Ludwig, Communications Director, WLRA
Learn. Enjoy. Protect.
SAVE THE DATE! April 11, 2026, 10 am – 2 pm, White Lake Community Hall, 3617 Parri Road
Cash Event: Entrance fee* per person $5, family rate $10.
*This fee replaces all former costs for games and craft activities. Cash for some items like food and merchandise still apply.
Bring your water bottle to fill at free water stations.
Welcome Turtle Lovers! Come enjoy our super-popular White Lake Turtle Festival! This fun-filled day is packed with lots to do and things to learn about our well-loved Western Painted turtles. This year, we will also share about the risk to our environment due to invasive species such as goldfish and certain plants.
Creating fun ways to learn how we can help the turtles and our local habitat is our motivation. Be creative - come dressed as a turtle! Enjoy a puppet show. Learn turtle and native plant facts with excellent conservation speakers. Indulge in raffles, vendors, food, games, craft activities and more! Cruz the tortoise is coming!
One thing we wish everyone knew… Many baby turtles are killed while crossing White Lake Road! :( This year, to reduce turtle deaths on our roads, we will be installing more signs to remind folks to slow down and watch for turtles.
So, what can YOU do? If you see a turtle on the road, stop and help it cross safely. It’s best to just stop traffic and not pick it up. Do not pick up a mamma turtle if she is heading AWAY from the lake. Her body is full of water needed for her nest and she will flush out if you pick her up. Then she has to go back to the lake to start over!
To learn more about turtles and our White Lake Festival, watch this wonderful short video by Shuswap resident Uta Marshall, of Salty Beaver Explores. Go to her YouTube channel, youtube @SaltyBeaverExplores
New this year is our Sandpit Treasure Hunt!
Kids can dig for delight with sand toys provided. If you find a buried pirate coin, cash it in for a prize!
Thank you to our 2026 sponsor Skwlax Aggregates for helping us finance our initiatives. We have launched a sponsorship program which can showcase your business at the festival. We also welcome any raffle item donations. For more information, contact Carol at secretary.wlra@gmail.com. We appreciate your support!
Join us for this fun festival to celebrate our turtles and beautiful lake ecosystem!
Discover more of what YOU can do as a steward of our community!
