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"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
April 7, 2016
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Black Racer Snake by Cheryl Black
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Tomorrow, April 8:
Urban Conservation Lecture
John H. Hartig's
Bringing Conservation to Cities: Lessons from Building the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
tells the story of how innovative public- private partnerships are making nature a part of everyday urban life in the automobile capitals of the U.S. and Canada
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The author, refuge manager for the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and an award-winning writer on conservation science, will present two programs
beginning at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on
Friday, April 8, 2016, in the free
READ MORE
Thanks to our 2016 Lecture Series sponsors!
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You can watch last week's lecture from "Teddy Roosevelt" here.
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Lecture Videos on YouTube
Have you been disappointed when turned away 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 (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.
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Wednesday, April 13 Film:
Is Your Life Too Plastic?
T
he documentary film
Bag It: Is Your Life Too Plastic?
completes the fourth annual "Ding" Darling Wednesday Film Series on April 13 at
2:30 p.m.
in the Visitor & Education Center auditorium.
Bag It
begins its mission with the ill effects of plastic bags, then evolves into a wholesale investigation into plastic and its effect on waterways, oceans, wildlife, and our own bodies. It connects the dots between plastic and around 100,000 marine animal deaths each year, plus human disease
READ MORE
Thanks to our 2016 Film Series Sponsors:
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Watch the Bag It trailer. |
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The late Dr. H. Randall "Big Daddy" Deming birding with his family
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New Endowed Conservation Scholarship Established
The new
Dr. H. Randall Deming Scholarship for Conservation & Environmental Studies
, named by his family in Dr. Deming's memory, establishes a $50,000 endowed fund as part of the DDWS Conservation Scholarship program.
Affectionately known as "Big Daddy," Randy Deming truly appreciated and valued the importance of education and the protection of our natural habitat. A lifelong outdoors enthusiast and avid birder, he loved spending time at "Ding" Darling and would initiate frequent outings to the Refuge with his children and grandchildren.
The Deming scholarship is the second endowed scholarship in the program. The Jane Werner Environmental Scholarship was established in 2011. The new Dr. H. Randall Deming Scholarship for Conservation & Environmental Studies endowment will add a $1,000 scholarship this year to bring the total to nearly $14,000 in scholarships to be awarded.
The following are the 2016 scholarships to be awarded:
Richard Bailey Scholarships (two)
Mike & Terry Baldwin Scholarship
Dr. Andrew & Laura Dahlem Scholarship
H. Randall Deming Scholarship for Conservation & Environmental Studies
Hans & Leslie Fleischner Scholarship
Mary Elaine Jacobson Memorial Scholarship
Francine Litofsky Memorial Scholarship
Tarpon Bay Explorers Scholarships
(five scholarships, now in its 11th consecutive year)
Jane Werner Environmental Scholarship
- the first permanently endowed scholarship received at "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society, now in its fifth year.
To become a scholarship donor or to support other permanent education programs such as teachers grants and internships, email or call (239-
292-0566)
Birgie Miller.
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Hikers and authors John and Sandra
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Friday, April 15 Lecture:
Hiking the Florida Trail
Learn "How To Hike the Florida Trail" from the authors of
The Florida Trail Guide
, Sandra Friend and John Keatley. The authors, both life members of the Florida Trail Association, will present two programs beginning at
10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, April 15, 2016
, in the Visitor & Education Center. The year 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the statewide Florida Trail. The husband-wife team of Sandra and John has updated its guidebook to the trail for the occasion, building on a strong, award-winning
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Smithsonian Exhibit this Fall
Mark your calendars for
October 29 through December 9
for an exciting Water/Ways traveling exhibit in partnership with the
Museum on Main Street
(MoMS) program supported by The Smithsonian and Florida Humanities Council.
In design right now, the first-
of-its-kind Water/Ways will visit only six locations in Florida, including "Ding" Darling.
 Water/Ways will take a global look at water relative to the environment, culture, and history. It will also examine the issues and context facing our liquid assets here at home. The Southwest Florida Fine Craft Guild is planning an artful water and nature exhibition during the event. The six-week exhibit will also feature three Wild Mile days in collaboration with other San-Cap Road nature and art organizations, a film series, and other unique exhibits.
Thanks to
LCEC for a $4,000 environmental funding award to support special
programming to accompany the exhibit.
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Land Acquisition Campaign
"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society moves forward on its campaign to acquire 8.15 acres on Sanibel Island's Wulfert Road as a crucial wildlife corridor for the "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
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DDWS Associate Director Sarah Lathrop and campaign committee members Jim Sprankle and Doris Hardy urge donors to help preserve fragile habitat.
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We must raise $2 million in private funds to purchase the parcel, which lies between SCCF land and the Refuge.
Donors have already committed $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
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Sanibel-Captiva Audubon President Jim Griffith, pictured above with campaign chair and former DDWS board president John McCabe and Society Executive Director Birgie Miller, recently donated in support of the land acquisition.
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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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March 15 marked the deadline to sign up for the groundbreaking SanCap Solar Connect initiative that "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society spearheaded.
"We are very pleased with the success of our solar campaign." said committee chair John McCabe. "We are looking forward to upcoming installations at the 'Ding' Darling Visitor & Education Center, administration building, and maintenance operation. We plan also to add an interpretive exhibit about solar power."
For more information on the program -- the first community solar initiative in Florida --
click here.
(Right) Solar installations at the Sanibel Island home of Fred and Alice Stanback, who provided partial funding for the SanCap Solar Connect initiative
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| Fred and Alice Stanback and Tony Ramudo of Urban Solar |
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April 29:
Deadline for Day Camp
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Day campers learn the principals of nature photography.
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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.
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Thank you to our Sponsors!
Thanks to our tourney sponsors.
Title Sponsor:
Presenting Sponsor:
Platinum Sponsors:
Gold Sponsors:
We are seeking auction donations for the Tarpon Tournament. Please e
mail or call Birgie Miller at 239-292-0566 to donate and help the Society raise funds for conservation efforts at the Refuge.
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Some of our tourney sponsors got GOOSED!
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If you follow the Society on Facebook and Instagram, you may have already seen these before-and-after pictures. T
his White-eyed Vireo nest was recently photographed on the 8.15 acre parcel on Wulfert Road at the end of Wildlife Drive that DDWS is currently working to raise $2M to acquire. These delicate hatchlings remind us of the importance of protecting natural environments.
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| Cormorant in breeding plumage by Fran Spencer |
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Great Blue Heron by Penny Corley
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To see more wildlife photos like these, 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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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 Chelle Koster Walton. Designed by Sarah Lathrop and interns Carrie Alexander and Anna Grubb
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