Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles

I want to open this blog with a photo:

This turtle is one of the many that will be affected by the April 20 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The fact that oil continues to flow into the Gulf on a daily basis is sickening. We've all seen the horrible photos of wildlife covered in oil. What is most depressing though is the feeling of helplessness at the situation. I tried a personal boycott of BP, but was forced to purchase fuel there the other day when my car was running on fumes. But thanks to the wonderful suggestion of an a/perture fan, Spencer Krane, we at a/perture plan to at least attempt to save that little guy in the photo.

On Sunday, June 20 at 8pm we will be screening the most fitting film we could find, director Joe Berlinger's CRUDE: The Real Price of Oil. Crude is the epic story of one of the most controversial environmental lawsuits on the planet. The landmark case takes place in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador, pitting 30,000 indigenous and colonial rainforest dwellers against U.S. oil giant Chevron. The plaintiffs claim that Texaco – which merged with Chevron in 2001 – spent three decades systematically contaminating one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth, poisoning the water, air and land. Sound familiar? Check out the trailer:

Tickets for the screening are $5 with ALL (yes, every penny) of the proceeds going to the Audubon Institute's Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program. The LMMSTRP is the primary responder for the state of Louisiana for rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing marine mammals (dolphins, whales and manatees) and sea turtles. Audubon and LMMSTRP are collaborating with NOAA, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the U.S. Coast Guard to ensure that we have the most up to date information about the direction of the oil spill and any possible animals in its path. Here are some photos of the first sea turtle to be rescued and "bathed."

a/perture would especially like to thank Spencer for splitting the cost of screening the film with us. We are also excited to tell you that if you dine down the street at Hutch and Harris before the film on Sunday, you can enjoy 10% off your meal and whatever this total amounts to, Hutch and Harris will also donate to the LMMSTRP. Just print this out and take it with you or come and buy your ticket beforehand.

So please come out on June 20, bring your Dad (it's Father's Day) to see a great film, and help us save some turtles.