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"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
March 10, 2016
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Alligator Photo by Jan Elsberry
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Tomorrow, March 11: Women & Florida's Environment
Dredge-and-fill
projects, air pollution, and pesticides spread so uncontrollably in Florida during the 20th century that they sparked an environmental movement within the state. Those who led the fight were often women. Leslie Kemp Poole's Saving Florida: Women's Fight for the Environment in the Twentieth Century chronicles women's conservation efforts.
The author will present two programs
beginning at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, March 11, 2016, in the free "Ding" Darling
READ MORE
Huge thanks to our 2016 Lecture Series sponsors:
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Help Save Our Island!
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DDWS strives to help the Refuge preserve as much of the dwindling island habitat as possible |
"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society has undertaken a campaign to acquire
8.51 acres on Sanibel Island's Wulfert Road as a crucial wildlife corridor for the "Ding" Darling Refuge. We must raise $2 million in private funds to purchase the parcel, which lies between SCCF land and the Refuge.
Donors have already committed to $500,000 of needed funds, so the goal is to raise the remaining $1.5 million by February 2017.
If not preserved by the Refuge, the land could be developed with as many as five dwellings and
READ MORE
Pledges over five years can also be made. For more information, contact DDWS Executive Director Birgie Miller at 239-292-0566 or by
email.
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Film: Wednesday, March 16
Crash: The Tale of Two Species
The documentary film
Crash: The Tale of Two Species continues the fourth annual "Ding" Darling Film Series on March 16 at 2:30 p.m. in the Visitor & Education Center auditorium.
Each year the red knot, a small shorebird, embarks on a 10,000 mile journey that coincides in the Delaware Bay with the annual spawning of the horseshoe crab. The crab eggs fuel the birds for one of the largest migrations on earth, but crab populations are in decline
READ MORE
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| See the trailer here. |
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Special thanks to our wonderful sponsors for the 2016 Film Series:
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Lecture Videos on YouTube
Have you been disappointed when turned away
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Watch last week's lecture, Ditch of Dreams, by clicking above. |
from a Friday lecture in our packed auditoriums? Then you will be happy to know you can still see 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 uploading videos of the lectures on
the DDWS YouTube channel. Look for them early the week.
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Emily Stokes |
Friday, March 18: Lionfish Lecture
In 2010, the journal
Trends in Ecology and Evolution
released a publication citing the lionfish invasion as one of the top 15 threats to global biodiversity. Lionfish program assistant at the
Reef Environmental Education Foundation
(REEF), Emily Stokes will address the issue during two "Invasion of the Lionfish" presentations
beginning at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, March 18, 2016
, in the Visitor & Education Center.
Today, lionfish populations have exploded and are taking over fragile reef habitat from
READ MORE
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April 29: Deadline for Summer Day Camp
April 29, 2016, marks the deadline for the second annual
Nature Explorers Summer Day Camp, which runs six weeks this year starting June 20. Campers can apply for one five-day session.
Click here for more information and an application.
Special thanks to anonymous donors for making this summer camp possible.
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April 9: Free Teacher Workshop
Teachers of grades kindergarten through 12th
, youth organization leaders, and other educators are invited to learn about birds and bird conservation at a FREE Flying Wild workshop to be held in the Refuge Visitor & Education Center on Saturday, April 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Click here
for details.
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Tarpon Tourney Teams FILLED
#dingtarpon
This year, two teams from the UK are coming to fish in our pond for the fifth annual "Ding" Darling & Doc Ford's Tarpon Tournament on May 7. Last year, one team of UK journalists participated, taking fourth place and donating their winnings to DDWS. The international bantering between teams has begun.
Click here to read a blog from Sanibel angler Les Boyle. 
Participants can "like" our social media pages (below) to weigh in, post pictures, etc., using
#dingtarpon
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We still need sponsors to help raise money for the conservation efforts at the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
Thanks to the following current sponsors:
Title Sponsor:
Presenting Sponsor:
Platinum Sponsors:
Gold Sponsors:
Click to see sponsor levels. Email or call Birgie Miller at 239-292-0566 to become a sponsor.
Auction donations are also another way to support the tournament. Please call 239.292.0566
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Photo by Jeff Springer |
Vote for 'Ding'
"Ding" Darling Refuge is currently in the running for 10Best Readers' Choice Award for "Favorite Place to See Aquatic Wildlife." 10Best asked a panel of wildlife experts to nominate their top 20 places in the United States, so click here to place your vote daily until polls close on Monday, March 28, at noon ET.
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Air Potato Control
The invasive air potato plant has become a Florida-wide problem as it chokes out native vegetation. Collaborative efforts have found a biological solution.
Click here
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The Great White Pelican may not have been spotted recently, but the Refuge still boasts plenty of great birding opportunities.
Pied-billed Grebes by Lillian Stokes. American White Pelicans by Sharon Peace. Palm Warbler by Patty MacInnis.
If
you have taken any beautiful, interesting,
or just plain goofy photos 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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