Founded in 2005 to celebrate and educate the public about Puerto Rico’s Northeast Ecological Corridor and its nesting leatherback sea turtles, Festival del Tinglar started as an effort to rally support for the protection of natural resources from development which would have had irrevocable social and environmental impacts. Today the Festival attracts thousands to the town of Luquillo for a celebration and stewardship of place, art, music, food. Discussion will explore the origins of the Festival, efforts needed to build partnerships among a variety of stakeholders, impacts of success, and models for embracing cultural practices to (re)connect communities with their natural resources.