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"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
October 15, 2015
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'Ding' Days Next Week
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| Send a "selfie" or "groupie" to social media or to an email address directly from the Santiva Chronicle Photo Sharing Kiosk, staffed all week long in the Visitor & Education Center during "Ding" Days. |
"Ding" Darling Days' weeklong birding and eco-festival kicks off at the Refuge on Sunday, October 18, 2015, with a FREE
Family Fun Day. The 26th annual event runs through October 24 and celebrates the 139th birthday of the Refuge's namesake, father
READ MORE
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 Happy Birthday "Ding"
Although political cartoonist Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling drew this cartoon for the
Des Moines Register in 1940 to celebrate the birthday of an Iowa town, we are sharing it today to celebrate the artist's birthday.
Wednesday, October 21 is our namesake's 139th birthday. Celebrate with us on Wednesday with a
FREE showing of the film
America's Darling at 9:30 a.m. in the Visitor & Education Center auditorium, followed by birthday cake. It is part of next week's "Ding" Darling Days, designed 16 years ago specifically to celebrate Darling's birthday and the duck stamp program he created.
Click on the cartoon to see it enlarged.
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"Discover Ding"
Our friends at Discover Nature Apps are running a contest beginning next week
during "Ding" Days, through April 2016. Every visitor who downloads the app, takes a tour of Wildlife Drive, and earns a roseate spoonbill badge wins a cool "Give your phone the bird" T-shirt. 25+ likes for a wildlife sighting, photo, or score wins a Discover Nature hat. And the photo, sighting, or score with the most likes will win a top-notch pair of binoculars. Look for more details available on Discover Nature Apps Facebook page. So, download the app today - available for both iPhone and Android devices - and come on over. Click here
to download today.
Look for the Discover Ding App booth at Family Fun Day this Sunday at the Refuge.
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| Compete for a pair of quality binoculars and other fun prizes. |
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| Pelican Elementary students learned about "Catching the Wind: Designing Windmills" for their 2015 project funded by a DDWS teacher grant. |
Teacher Grants Deadline
Deadline for the the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society teacher conservation grants is October 31, 2015. Up to $10,000 in grant awards are available to teachers in Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades, and Hendry counties this school year for
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Ranger Toni pledges Tanglewood students as Rangers for a Day and issues them fourth-grade passes.
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Every Kid in
a Park
Ranger Toni Westland has been busy signing up fourth graders for their free
Every Kid in a Park passes, allowing them and their families free admission into
"Ding" Darling and public lands nationwide through August 2016. Recently she visited Tanglewood Elementary in Fort Myers to issue 130 passes. Last week 41 fourth graders from The Sanibel School visited the Refuge's Wildlife Education Boardwalk to earn their passes. Click
HERE to read an article in the News-Press.
Stop by the Visitor and Education Center on
Family Fun Day,
Sunday, October 18, to get your Every Kid in a Park voucher.
Click here for more information on the program.
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The Sanibel School fourth graders proudly show off their passes.
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Thanks to
Coaste
magazine for showcasing the Refuge and "Ding" Darling Days in its October November issue.
Click on the picture to check it out!
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Instagram, Facebook, Twitter: Pick your platform and join our thousands of followers in social media. Please click on the icons below to connect with us today.
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Thank You Sponsors
Please be sure to thank and patronize our loyal sponsors:
Roseate Spoonbill Sponsor:
Great Egret Sponsors:
Great Blue Heron Sponsors
:
97.7 Latino & Juan Radio
,
Arthur Printing
,
Bailey's General Store
, Mike & Terry Baldwin,
Bank of the Islands
,
Island Sun
,
Jensen's Island Resort & Marina
,
Jerry's Foods
,
Mitchell's Sand Castles
,
Ocean's Reach Condominiums
,
Sanibel Captiva Community Bank
,
Sanibel Moorings
,
Spotlight Graphics
,
Jim & Patty Sprankle,
Sanibel-Captiva Beach Resorts
Reddish Egret Sponsors:
Sarah Ashton
& Jim Metzler,
Big Red Q Quickprint
, Casa Ybel Resort, Sally & Rich Ennis, Florida Weekly, Glen & Phyllis Gresham, Gulf Breeze Cottages, Painting with a Twist, Ed & Lynn Ridlehoover,
Sanibel-Captiva Kiwanis Club,
Stewart and Sons Insurance, Inc.,
West Wind Inn
Snowy Egret Sponsors
:
Barefoot Charley's Painting Co., John Brennan, Butterfly Estates, Cedar Chest Fine Jewelry, Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP), Colony Inn, Jerry Edelman & Maryanne Daly, Grounds by Green Ways, Dave Horton, Island Therapy Center Sanibel,Over Easy Cafe, Sallie Rich, Sanibel Art & Frame, She Sells Sea Shells,Winston & Barbara Spurgeon, Suncatchers' Dream, Tents 'n' Events, Santiva Chronicle
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(Right)
A White Ibis and Roseate Spoonbill have a discussion about the upcoming "Ding" Darling Days.
Photo by
Gail Campbell
(Left) A Great White Heron perches, waiting for Family Fun Day.
Photo by Al Hoffacker
(Right) Check out the smile on this alligator! He's practicing for the photo booth.
Photo by
Patty MacInnis
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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,
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