|
|
|
"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
February 4, 2016
|
|
| |
|
White Pelicans by Sylvia Guarino
|
|
|
|
Follow us on Instagram!  |
|
|
| |
|
|
TOMORROW, February 5:
Sex, Drugs, & Sea Slime
Lecture
In
Sex, Drugs, and Sea Slime: The Oceans' Oddest Creatures and Why They Matter, marine scientist Ellen Prager takes readers deep into the sea to introduce an astonishing cast of fascinating and bizarre creatures that make the salty depths their home. As part of the free "Ding" Darling Friday Lecture Series, the author will present two programs
beginning at
10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
on Friday, February 5, 2016, in the Visitor & Education Center.
Hidden beneath the sea's waves, a staggering abundance and variety of active creatures engage in the never-ending struggles
READ MORE
A BIG thanks to our 2016 Lecture Series
sponsors.
&
To view the season's lecture series schedule,
CLICK HERE
|
|
|
|
Lectures pack the auditorium!
|
Seating for the lectures is limited and available on a first-come basis. Arrive one hour early to assure seating. Early arrivals can save one seat each and then may explore the Visitor & Education Center or Indigo Trail before the lecture starts. Saved seats must be filled 15 minutes before lecture time or risk reassignment.
|
|
Darling Is Back Documentary
Another chapter in the Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling story will unfold on
Tuesday, February 9 at the free sneak preview of the film "
Darling Is Back" at
1 p.m. in the "Ding" Darling Visitor & Education Center. The "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society is co-hosting
READ MORE
Pictured: "Ding" Darling at work at the desk that is on display in our Visitor & Education Center.
|
Friday, February 12: Stokes' Lecture
|
|
| Roseate Spoonbill by Lillian Stokes. |
Longtime winter residents of Sanibel Island and nationally acclaimed bird authors and TV personalities,
Don and Lillian Stokes will present two programs beginning at
10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on
Friday, February 12, 2016, in the free Visitor & Education Center. Their two "Better Birding" presentations will celebrate birds and discuss how to find and identify them, featuring the photography of Lillian Stokes and special information that the Stokes have gleaned while researching and writing 35 books
READ MORE
NOTE: The Stokes lectures fill up very early each year, so please plan accordingly.
|
Wednesday, February 17:
Sand Wars Film
The investigative documentary film
Sand Wars continues the fourth annual "Ding" Darling Film Series on
February 17, 2016, at 2:30 p.m. in the Visitor & Education Center auditorium. The fight for one of the most consumed natural resources on the planet has been termed the "new gold rush." Sand is a component in objects we see and use every day - from computer chips to wine. With increased development and three-quarters of the world's beaches in decline, the question of the renewability
READ MORE
|
|
| Watch the Sand Wars trailer. |
Many thanks to our 2016 Film Series sponsor for its generous support.
For brief synopses of this season's films, please
click here
|
|
|
|
2015 scholarship donors and recipients with "Ding" Education Committee members Wendy Schnapp (far left) and Ranger Becky Larkins (far right)
|
Conservation Scholarships Deadline
Application deadline for about a dozen scholarships from the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society, ranging from $1,000 to $1,500 each, is
March 31, 2016. High school seniors or college students in or from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades counties intending to pursue degrees in environmental-related studies can
READ MORE
|
Don't miss out on the largest annual fundraising event to benefit the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge!
Featuring a chance drawing, live & silent auctions, dinner, and live music.
Only 35 seats available before it is sold out.
|
|
|
Master Wood Sculptor Jim Sprankle
has carved a feather for this special drawing.
|
Only 150 Chances at $150 each
Only 65 chances remain!
Grand Prize:
Hand-carved and -painted Reddish Egret Feather pin valued at more than $5,000 AND membership in the exclusive Sprankle Feather Club
(fewer than 50 members)
which "flocks" together once a year.
Don't miss an opportunity to win one of three prizes in this special drawing. The drawing will be held at the February 23, 2016 Go Wild for "Ding" Event, but
winners need not be present to claim their prizes.
DDWS is selling only 150 chances
at $150 each, and they are going fast.
Other prizes include professional photographic and framed Reddish Egret portraits by Terry Baldwin and
Al Hoffacker
.
Winners need not be present to claim their prizes.
|
Master island sculptor
Jim Sprankle has created a reddish egret necklace slide specially for the
Go Wild for "Ding" - Dance of the Reddish Egret
live auction on Tuesday, February 23. Also on the live auction block: an American avocet carving (valued at more than $10,000) by Sprankle and a pontoon dinner excursion for eight to the Refuge's Woodring Point including wine, cheese, sunset, meeting Jean and Ralph Woodring, and an island restaurant dinner.
Click here
to read more about the event.
|
More than 40 silent auction items for the
Go Wild for "Ding" dinner event include a framed limited edition Audubon print of a reddish egret valued at more than $2,000; tri-color, 14-karat gold island charm necklace valued at $1,300
(left); and wooden, scale-model, 1950s Chris Craft runabout boat with a collectible book on Chris Craft boats, valued at an estimated $600
(below). Stay tuned for news on more auction items to come.
|
Tickets are selling fast!
Attendance at the February 23, 2016
Go Wild for "Ding"
- Dance of the Reddish Egret is by
reservation o
nly.
Tickets are $100 each and include an island-restaurants buffet, beer & wine, live music, and auctions.
Defender Level:
Big Red Q Quickprint,
Cast About Charters
,
Hightower Advisors Fort Myers
, Mike & Terry Baldwin, Doug & Sherry Gentry, Greenwood Consulting Group, Inc., Phyllis & Glen Gresham,
Gulf Coast Landscape Supply
, Dick & Emily Muench,
Queenie's Ice Cream,
Sanibel Sweet Shoppe
, TradeMarky Films,
Vortex Optics
|
|
|
| Registration is now OPEN. Only 50 teams accepted for this 5th annual tournamennt. Only 25 spots remain |
|
Some of the wildlife on the Refuge cooling down with a swim!
Photo Credits: River Otter from Sue Sanford-Ring. Alligator from Gary Biltgen
If you have taken any beautiful, interesting, or just plain goofy photos taken at the Refuge, send them to Society intern
Carrie Alexander
for a chance to be featured in upcoming newsletters.
|
These are just snapshots of some of the things taking place at your Wildlife Refuge. Please check our website at
www.dingdarlingsociety.org to learn more!
Sincerely,
"Ding" On The Wing composed by
Designed by Sarah Lathrop and interns Carrie Alexander and Anna Grubb
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
