Big Chill, MERR to host 'Turtle' screening July 28

The Big Chill Surf Cantina, in cooperation with the Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation Institute, will host a screening of "Turtle: The Incredible Journey" on Sunday, July 28 at 7:30 p.m. The screening will be preceded by a short video of MERR's own incredible journey, as they rescued and transported hatchings from Delaware's first-recorded sea turtle nesting. Members of the stranding team will also be on hand to talk about the rescue and answer questions.

The 2009 film "Turtle" follows a little loggerhead who charts a path of her ancestors on one of the most extraordinary journeys in the natural world. Born on a beach in Florida, she rides the Gulf Stream all the way to the frozen north and ultimately swims around the entire North Atlantic to Africa and back to the beach where she was born.

The documentary film is narrated by Miranda Richardson and directed by the award-winning Nick Stringer.

"Loggerheads are the most commonly occurring sea turtle along the Delaware coast and in the Delaware Bay," said MERR executive director Suzanne Thurman. "Even though they are considered this, they are teetering on becoming an endangered species caused by human interaction."

Thurman said MERR's part in the 2011 sea turtle rescue was one of the most meaningful events in the group's 13 year history. "To be able to help these little hatchlings make it to the Gulf Stream was such an unforgettable experience," Thurman said.

The film will be screened at The Big Chill's outside patio, located  at 19406 Coastal Highway next to Liquid in Rehoboth Beach. For more information on The Big Chill Surf Cantina, find them on Facebook, or visit their website at bigchillcantina.com.

For more information about the screening or MERR Institute, call 302.228.5029 or email rob.merrinstitute@gmail.com. Participants to the screening must be 21 and older.

MERR is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the conservation of marine mammals and sea turtles and their habitat.  MERR is on call 24/7 to provide response for marine animals that have stranded due to illness, injury or death, wherever they might occur throughout the state of Delaware.