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"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
May 26, 2016
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Sneak Peek!
Coming to "Ding" October 29 to December 8, 2016. More details to come!
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Refuge Ranger Toni Westland (L) and DDWS Assoc. Director Sarah Lathrop traveled to learn more about the upcoming exhibit which was designed by the Smithsonian.
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 2016 Tarpon Tourney: Highest Earnings Ever!
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Team Chasin' Poon hooked the first tarpon and took home a check for $12,037.50. Pictured here: Team members Gary Biltgen, Matt Mitchell, Mary Laser, and Wade Roberts.
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The fifth annual
"Ding" Darling & Doc Ford's Tarpon Tournament on May 7, 2016, topped previous years' fundraising efforts by netting
$55,000 from tournament sponsorships, donations, and silent auction proceeds to directly benefit conservation work at the Refuge. The tournament paid out $18,725 to
READ MORE
Click here
to see tourney results, a photo gallery, and Les Boyle's final blog of the season
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CLICK HERE
to see photos from the Tarpon Tournament
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 One last whopper "Thank You" to our sponsors, helping to raise $55,000 to support the Refuge.
Title Sponsor
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Platinum Sponsors:
Gold Sponsors:
Silver Sponsors:
Shoreline Lumber
,
Bailey's General Store
,
Semmer Electric
,
Bonita Bill's Waterfront Cafe
,
R.S. Walsh Landscaping
,
Must Do Visitor Guides
, Don Wildman,
Sanibel Air
,
Key West Express,
Gulf Star Marina
,
Discovery Senior Living
,
The Island Sand Paper
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T
he Refuge has conducted prescribed burns for many years. They have demonstrated to be a cost-effective tool for reducing the risk of serious wildfires.
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Prescribed Fire Meeting Today
During the 2016 summer season, the Refuge will be conducting a prescribed burn of the Bailey Tract. You are invited to attend an informational meeting TODAY on
Thursday, May 26, 2016, at 1 p.m.
in the Visitor & Education Center to discuss the burn plans and address any questions or concerns.
Carefully planning and conducting managed burns can prevent the likelihood of catastrophic wildfires and help preserve the natural ecology of the area. This technique, called "prescribed fire," will reduce the amount of dried vegetation or "fuel."
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On May 22, 2016, longtime volunteer
Karen Combs passed away after a two-year battle with cancer. Karen started volunteering at the Refuge in 2003 when she and her husband, Ed, moved to Fort Myers from Cleveland, Ohio. She loved her family, nature, and volunteering at "Ding," where she
clocked in over 1,800 hours. Her family has asked for memorial contributions to be made to the
"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society in lieu of flowers. "Karen was a very loving a sweet lady, and she will be sorely missed," says Refuge Volunteer Coordinator Jeff Combs.
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Watch the full video here.
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"Ding" on the News for Water Quality
A new study on water quality at J.N. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Refuge shows bad water quality conditions are directly related to freshwater releases upstream on the Caloosahatchee.
The three-year study by the United States Geological Survey found that increased water releases at the Franklin Locks near Alva are linked to lower salinity and higher dissolved matter levels at McIntyre Creek at the refuge. Read the full story, published by NBC2,
here.
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Welcome Resident Volunteers
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| Lisa and TJ |
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For the first time, the Refuge welcomes two resident volunteers for a summer stint.
TJ McCarthy and Lisa Johnsey arrived April 13, 2016. Lisa, who worked as an administrative assistant and in sales during her previous life, assists in the Refuge Administrative Office. She comes from West Palm Beach, where she met her husband of two years, and has also lived in Chicago and Denver.
A former business owner - a seafood restaurant and later a flooring firm - TJ works in the Refuge maintenance department. "We are happy to help the rangers and Refuge maintain what has always been a very favorite place for Lisa in her younger days," says TJ, a Kansas City native.
After 30,000 miles of traveling, the couple signed up for their first volunteer gig with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Kaweah near Sequoia National Park in California. "We got to know the rangers and learned there was a real need for volunteers in light of the short supply of funding and resources," said Lisa. "We now find projects to balance our explorations and are pleased to be working with the amazing staff at 'Ding' Darling."
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 FREE Summer Programs
Wildlife Wonders talks, weekly walks, and nature crafts highlight the free summer programming
to be offered at the Refuge
June 19 through August 6, 2016.
Summer programming is made possible by support from the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge (DDWS).
(Right) Guided hikes along Indigo Trail to the Wildlife Education Boardwalk teach families about Refuge wildlife and its habitat.
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New Summer Education Intern
Phoebe Clark, a junior at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville majoring in environment sciences and English, joins the Refuge environmental education staff to help out with this summer's second annual Nature Explorers Day Camp.
Originally from Wellesley, Massachusetts, Phoebe previously worked with Massachusetts Audubon as an ecological management intern and at the New
England Aquarium as a lobster lab  intern.
"Sanibel is such a beautiful island filled with kind, caring people who are genuinely invested in the island they call home, its protection, and the preservation of its natural environments," said Phoebe. "
One of my favorite things is seeing children interact with the Refuge. I can see lasting impressions made, memories created that will always be cherished, and experiences formed that will continue to stay with and influence these children for the rest of their lives."
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Do you want your friends and family to see what's happening at the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island? Forward this newsletter to them, and help them stay up-to-date with "Ding" on the Wing.
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Dolphins! What could be a more joyous creature to celebrate the 2016 holidays?
This year's limited edition Lucas Century etched holiday ornament is here, so hurry and pick up or order yours while supplies last. These collectible glass ornaments go fast. Cost is $45 each. To order, email or call 239-472-1100 ext. 241. Proceeds from all Nature Store sales go directly to the Refuge for educational programs and wildlife research.
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Featured Art at the Refuge
Come enjoy the photographic work of
Sunderland Wildlife Photography, whose art will be displayed in Auditorium B of the Visitor & Education Center through July.
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Theodore Cross Photo Contest Winner Brings Class to "Ding"
Cypress Lake Art students enjoyed their field trip to the Refuge last
week. They toured the Visitor & Education Center, had a private photography workshop with volunteer Jim Bennight, and hiked the Indigo Trail.
Dahlia
Lillesslatten
won this field trip after placing second in the Theodore Cross Photo Contest for her photo, "Clamor of Wings" (right). Nesting birds at the Wildlife Education Boardwalk put on a show for the high schoolers, and we hope to see their photos entered in the 2017 contest.
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This Land Is Your Land
"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society has undertaken a campaign to acquire more than 8 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 more than $600,000 of needed funds, so the goal is to raise the remaining $1.4 million by February 2017
. If not preserved by the Refuge, the land could be developed with as many as five dwellings and
READ MORE
To make a gift or multi-year pledge or for more information, contact DDWS Executive Director Birgie Miller at 239-292-0566 or by
email.
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In this edition of
"Ding" on the Wing, we continue our new regular feature, in accordance with the Refuge Association's
"America's Best-Kept Secret" initiative to rebrand the refuge system and encourage a new generation and demographic of visitors. The program targets 20 to 30 refuges that either are in urban areas, highly visited, or gateway refuges.
In each "Ding" of the Wing, our Refuge staff will recommend one of these pillar refuges in the hopes to whet your interest in the most significant and visitable refuges among the more than 560 across America.
This month Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland recommends:
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Great Egret and Great Blue Heron at Minnesota Valley NWR.
FWS photo by Mike Williams
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Minnesota Valley NWR
Location: Bloomington, Minnesota (5 minutes from Minneapolis/St Paul International Airport and Mall of America)
Size: 15,000 acres
Totemic fauna: Trumpeter Swan and Bald Eagle
Most signature geographic feature: Flood plain forests and wetlands
Don't miss: Spring and fall bird migrations
Fun for the family: Fishing, biking, and hiking
Visitor's tip: Find the giant glacial erratic rock at the Louisville Swamp Unit.
Toni says: "We share a volunteer -- Chris Mackenzie. What an amazing volunteer to give her time at two refuges --- here in the winter and there in the summer months. We also share a Minnesota Twins baseball connection!"
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Say 'No' to Plastic Straws
In our never-ending mission to educate the public about Earth's problems created by "our addiction to plastic," we would like to encourage you to ask for your beverages, when possible, without a plastic straw. Especially on our islands, straws served in drinks at outdoor restaurants and bars too often end up on the beach and in the water, where they can cause harm to marine animals. Please, just say "no" to plastic straws. Click
HERE to read a story about straws and impacts on wildlife including a video of a sea turtle having a straw removed from its nostril.
(Right) This outdoor bar in Bradenton Beach demonstrates a growing awareness of the plastic straw dilemma.
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Last year, Refuge volunteers Edith Rood and Helen Taylor and Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland received E Awards.
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Refuge Customer Service
Have you experienced customer service at the Refuge that exceeded your expectations? Did a volunteer or staff member go out of his or her way to make your Refuge experience above and beyond?
Please consider nominating that person for the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau's
2016 Elaine McLaughlin Outstanding Hospitality Service Awards (E Awards). It's easy to nominate! Simply
click here to fill out a nomination form. Thanks for taking the time to show your support of the Refuge and our topnotch workers.
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We know you LIKE us because you are subscribed to our email newsletter. Now we need for you to "like" us and help us reach our social media goals! We currently have 9,282 likes on Facebook. Our goal is to reach 10,000. With 2,914 Instagram likes already, we are aiming for 3,000.
Please share our Facebook posts with your friends and tell others about the gorgeous and crazy wildlife photography we post on Instagram. Thanks for your support and for helping us reach our goals.
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We posted these Green Heron photos last week on the
Society's Instagram page. Follow our social media for the most up-to-date wildlife sightings!
Thanks to Emeritus Board Member and volunteer Susan Cassell for these photos.
T
o see more wildlife photos, click on our social media links:
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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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 Chelle Koster Walton. Designed by Sarah Lathrop and interns Carrie Alexander and Anna Grubb
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