|
|
|
"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
January 21, 2016
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Gator Photo by Felicia Case |
|
|
|
|
|
Pelican Photo by Sharon Peace
|
|
|
|
Another chapter in the Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling story will unfold on
Tuesday, February 9, 2016, 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
|
|
| "Ding" at his desk on display in the Visitor & Education Center. |
|
|
|
|
|
Yellow-crowned Night Heron Photo by Paul McKenney
|
|
|
| |
|
|
TOMORROW, January 22:
Rain Lecture
Cynthia Barnett's book Rain: A Natural & Cultural History begins four billion years ago with the torrents that filled the oceans, and builds to the current storms of climate change. The author will present two programs beginning at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, January 22, 2016, in the free "Ding" Darling Visitor & Education Center. Rai
n weaves together science-the true shape of a raindrop, the mysteries of frog and fish rains- with the human
READ MORE
|
|
|
A special thanks for additional support from the Florida Humanities Council in bringing this speaker to the Refuge
|
Click here
to view the season's lecture series schedule.
A BIG thanks to our 2016 Lecture Series sponsors.
&
|
|
|
|
Lecture seating fills early.
|
Notice:
New Lecture Seating Policy
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 reassigning. Thank you to everyone for your interest in the annual lecture series and for your cooperation.
|
|
|
| Master Wood Sculptor Jim Spranke has carved a feather for this special drawing |
Special Chance Drawing
Only 150 Chances at $150 each
Grand Prize:
Hand-carved and -painted Reddish Egret Feather pin valued at more than $5,000.00 AND membership in the exclusive Sprankle Feather Club
(less 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.
Click HERE
to purchase your chance(s).
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.
|
|
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.
Click here for links to make reservations and/or purchase chances for the special drawing.
Defender Level:
Big Red Q Quickprint,
Cast About Charters
,
Hightower Advisors Fort Myers
, Mike & Terry Baldwin, Doug & Sherry Gentry, Greenwood Consulting Group, Inc., Glen & Phyllis Gresham,
Gulf Coast Landscape Supply
,
Queenie's Ice Cream,
Sanibel Sweet Shoppe
,
Vortex Optics
|
|
|
|
Gary and Alice Lavimoniere share their butterfly passion
|
Saturday, Jan. 23
Free Butterfly Program
Join us in the Visitor & Education Center Auditorium A Saturday, January 23, at 1 p.m. for a "Live Native Butterflies of Southwest Florida" program. Speakers Gary and Alice Lavimoniere, volunteers at the Refuge and at the
Butterfly Estates
in Fort Myers, will follow a short PowerPoint presentation with on-going interpretation until 2 p.m., featuring five live native butterfly species, host plants, and live caterpillars and chrysalides. Admission is free.
|
|
|
| Researcher fitting a Refuge Reddish Egret with a tracking device. Photo compliments of ARCI |
Friday, January 29
Reddish Egret Lecture
Dr. Kenneth Meyer conducts a groundbreaking study at "Ding" Darling to learn more about the movement of Reddish Egrets for the Avian Research and Conservation Institute (ARCI) in Gainesville. The
researcher will present two programs titled "The
|
|
|
Reddish Egret photo by Wayne Kliewer
|
Dance of the Reddish Egret - From 'Ding' to North Florida" beginning at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, January 29, in the free Visitor & Education Center. Meyer is currently tracking five Reddish Egret individuals he originally tagged at "Ding" Darling refuge. The Reddish Egret
(
Egretta rufescens
), known for its erratic "dancing"
READ MORE
Special Thanks to our Lecture Series Sponsors:
&
|
Film Series: Wednesday, February 3
The film Vanishing of the Bees continues the fourth annual "Ding" Darling Wednesday Film Series on February 3 at 2:30 p.m. in the Visitor & Education Center auditorium. Honeybees pollinate one-third of the food we eat, and they are threatened by a worldwide phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder. This 87-minute film chronicles the fight
READ MORE
For brief synopses of this season's films, please
click here
|
Congrats 'Guests First' Grads!
Congratulations to Anna Grubb and Carrie Alexander for completing the six classes, 15 hours required to be certified graduates of the
Guests First program
offered by the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau (VCB). The Guests First Customer Service Training refreshes and sharpens skills for tourism and hospitality employees through non-traditional, interactive sessions.
|
Middle School Photo Contest
The Sanibel Middle School's nature photography contest concluded with an awards ceremony and reception on Tuesday, January 12, 2016. This annual school event is a partner program of hosts DDWS and the Refuge, and Bank of the Islands, which provides medals, cash prizes, and exhibition space for the contest. The partnership also extends to the Cypress Lake Middle School and Edison National Bank in Fort Myers.
Sanibel winners:
1st place - Chiara Corricelli
for "Halo of Light"
2nd place - Beru Pierce
for "Florida's Winter"
3rd place - Anna Wells
for "Van Gogh Reflection"
|
From the Pen of "Ding"
With rain on the lecture calendar this week and major rain events and flooding on the islands and beyond last week, we thought we would look into the archives of "Ding" Darling's political cartoons to stay in theme. Our Refuge namesake, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and vocal conservationist, penned this cartoon named "The paramount issue" for the
Des Moines Register in 1902. Often called "the best friend a duck ever had" for his work establishing the Federal Duck Stamp Program, "Ding" didn't leave his friends out of this picture. The duck in the left corner, furthermore, appears to be the only creature in the flooded tableau smiling.
Click on the image to see it enlarged.
|
There is so much to see at the Refuge! Horseshoe crabs gather to discuss their seating arrangement at the Go Wild for "Ding" event on February 23 (photo by Penny Corely), while two Yellow-crowned Night Herons are wondering why Reddish Egrets get all the glory! (photo by Sue Sanford-Ring)
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
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
