MERR to host World Ocean Day celebration June 8

The Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute will host its annual World Ocean Day celebration Saturday, June 8. Part of the global World Ocean Day initiative, now in its 21st year, the event promises a day of family-friendly activities and educational opportunities.

Activities kick off at 8 a.m. with a beach cleanup at Beach Plum Island. Participants will meet at MERR’s facilities to receive instructions, trash bags and gloves before heading out to the beach. For those unable to join the effort in person, MERR encourages virtual participation by tagging photos of their collected trash with #MERRWorldOcean24.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., attendees can enjoy a variety of activities at the MERR facility. The event is free and open to the public, though donations will be gratefully accepted upon entrance.

Highlights include: creative craft projects with an ocean theme; fun and educational games for all ages; an ocean-themed interactive scavenger hunt; and exhibits highlighting marine life and conservation efforts by MERR.

MERR will host a 1 p.m. screening of "Saving the Right Whale," presented by Marcus Reamer, a whale and dolphin conservation expert and doctoral candidate at the University of Miami. This will be followed by an audience discussion with Reamer, Sarah Wilkin, NOAA national stranding and emergency response coordinator; and Suzanne Thurman, MERR Institute executive director.

For more information, go to merrinstitute.org.

Members of the public who encounter a stranded marine mammal or sea turtle can contact MERR at 302-864-0304 or merrinstitute@gmail.com.