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"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
February 18, 2016
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2016 Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture. Thursday, Feb. 25
Click LOGO above for more information |
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"Wonderful wild life area 70% of Sanibel island is comprised of this park. You can see all sorts of birds, types of marsh vegetation and even alligators. There are walking trails, biking trails and you can also drive through or take a trolley. The docents are very informative and so is the pavilion has a lot of information on the creation of the park and the history of its founder. A worth while place to visit if you like nature." ParrotsCove
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Screech owl photo by Jim Bennight
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Last minute openings for Stokes Tram Tour
(
which is scheduled for tomorrow. )
Due to recent cancellations, EIGHT SPOTS have become available for TOMORROW, Friday, February 19, on the Stokes Tram Tour - 4 seats available on each tram.
Reservations for this last-minute offer must be made
today before noon
by
emailing
or calling the Society office at 239-472-1100 ext 233.
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Friday, February 26:
Roseate Spoonbill
Lecture
Dr. Jerry Lorenz combines Audubon's 80-year records on roseate spoonbill nesting patterns in the Everglades' Florida Bay with his own personal experience studying what fish spoonbills eat to construct the story of how the human population explosion in southern Florida has had a multilevel effect on the birds.
As part of the free "Ding" Darling Friday Lecture Series, his two "Roseate Spoonbills in Florida Bay: Pink Canaries in a Coal Mine" presentations will take place beginning at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, February 26, 2016, in the free
READ MORE
A BIG thanks to our 2016 Lecture Series
sponsors.
&
To view the season's lecture series schedule,
CLICK HERE
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| Caloosahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Al Hoffacker |
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Speak Up for Water!
Please call all elected state officials who represent Lee County
Click HERE to get contact information
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Brown water surrounding the Causeway. Photo courtesy of WINK News.
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The record January rainfall in South Florida has caused the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) to again discharge massive amounts of water from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River and estuary. As a result, the water in San Carlos Bay, along the Sanibel shoreline, and in the Refuge's Tarpon Bay has become nutrient-laden and turned a deep brown. This has negatively impacted
READ MORE
The picture to the right shows the brown water at
Tarpon Bay Explorers
, the Refuge's concession. TBE depends on clear water to lead their Refuge nature tours, which inform our visitors about the vital wildlife and ecosystems being protected.
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Solution to Filled Lectures
If you have ever been disappointed when turned away from a Friday lecture in our packed auditoriums, then you will be happy to know
you can still hear lectures you may have missed. Though we have tried to solve our popularity problem by increasing the number of Friday lectures from one to two (both at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.), our audience still packs the house. To solve the disappointment problem, we are now uploading videos of the lectures on
the DDWS YouTube channel. Look for them early the week following the lecture on YouTube and in "Ding" on the Wing.
This is the video from Don & Lillian Stokes's packed lecture on February 12, titled "Better Birding."
All of their award-winning bird guides are available for purchase in the Nature Store.
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Only 150 Chances at $150 each
Go Wild for "Ding" on February 23 has SOLD OUT!!
But it's not too late to buy a chance - a first-ever opportunity - to own a
Jim Sprankle Reddish Egret Feather Pin - for only $150.
25 CHANCES REMAIN.
The feather pins, with admission into the 50-member Sprankle Feather Club,
have sold at live auction for $5,000 or more. Only 150 chances are being sold.
ONLY 25 CHANCES ARE LEFT.
We will draw the winner at Go Wild for "Ding" - Dance of the Reddish Egret on February 23, but you
need not be present to purchase a chance or to win.
Click here for more information on the chance drawing.
Other chance prizes include professional photographic and framed Reddish Egret portraits by Terry Baldwin and
Al Hoffacker
.
Winners need not be present to claim their prizes.
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Wednesday, March 2:
Plastic Paradise Film
The documentary film
Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch continues the fourth annual "Ding" Darling Film Series on
March 2, 2016, at 2:30 p.m. in the Visitor & Education Center auditorium. Midway Atoll -- located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, thousands of miles from civilization -- has become a paradise for plastic known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This 57-minute documentary
READ MORE
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| Watch the Plastic Paradise trailer here |
Many thanks to our 2016 Film Series sponsor for its generous support.
For brief synopses of this season's films, please
click here
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Our amazing sponsors have helped give wing to this fourth annual fundraiser.
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
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Tarpon Tourney Registration Deadline is April 29, 2016
ONLY 23 SPOTS REMAIN!
A 100 percent purse promises to make the fifth annual
"Ding" Darling & Doc Ford's Tarpon Tournament on
May 7, 2016
, the hottest competition on the water. It pays out 100 percent of the entry fee as tournament awards. Registration deadline is April 29. The field is limited to 50 boats, and fills up quickly each year
READ MORE
Thanks to our tourney sponsors. To become a sponsor,
email or call
Bi
rgie Miller at
239-292-0566
.
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Diversified Yacht Service of Fort Myers Beach supports the tournament as Presenting Sponsor. COO Ryan Levi is pictured here with DDWS Executive Director Birgie Miller.
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Cross Contest Awards
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Adrian Dougherty and Amanda Cross, daughter of the late Ted Cross.
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At a special ceremony on February 6, 2016, the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society announced winners and finalists in the
third annual "Ding" Darling-Theodore Cross High School Photography Contest. Sponsored by the Theodore Cross Family Charitable Foundation, the competition invited high school students from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades, and Hendry counties to compete for prizes that included READ MORE
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| Adrian Dougherty's award-winning photo |
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| Dahlia Lilleslatten came in second with her "A Clamour of Wings." |
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| Carolyn Linehan placed third with "Sssssss." |
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Learn about the Refuge's endangered species-- including sea turtles, manatees, Smalltooth Sawfish (pictured), wood storks, alligators, and crocodiles -- every Sunday at 1 p. m. at the Crossdike pavilion. "Endangered Species " is one of 17 free programs and tours the Refuge is offering through April 3.
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Discover Ding Contest
Our friends at Discover Nature Apps are running a contest through April 2016. Every visitor who downloads the app, takes a tour of the Wildlife Drive, and earns a Roseate Spoonbill Badge wins a cool "Give your phone the bird" shirt. 25+ likes for a wildlife sighting, photo, or score wins aDiscover Nature hat. And the photo, sighting, or score with the most likes will win a top-quality pair of binoculars. Look for more details available on the Discover Nature Apps Facebook page. So, download the app - available for both iPhone and Android devices - and come on over. Click here
to download today.
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Yellow-crowned Night-Heron by Paul McKenney. Gopher Tortoise by France Paulsen. Shore wash by Laila Walzer.
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.
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Smithsonian Water/Ways Exhibit - October 29-December 9, 2016
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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,
"Ding" On The Wing composed by
Designed by Sarah Lathrop and interns Carrie Alexander and Anna Grubb
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