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"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
April 28, 2016
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Tomorrow, April 29: Special FREE Beach Program
Ranger Becky Larkins, the Refuge Education Specialist, will be conducting a special Beach Walk Program tomorrow to train Refuge interns. The public is invited to attend for free starting at 9:30 a.m. The one-hour program departs from Gulfside City Park, where parking fees do apply. No advance reservations are necessary.
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Federal Junior Duck Stamp Judging Just Ducky
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Head judge for the Junior Duck Stamp Contest, Joe Hautman, announces the winner.
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The suspense was daunting as judges voted to break the tie between the two top picks for the 2016-2017
Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest, held last Friday, April 22, at the Refuge. It was a first for "Ding" Darling, and an exciting one at that. Refuge Manager Paul Tritaik acknowledged Florida JDS leader Ranger Becky Larkins, plus three islanders responsible for the program's creation: former Sanibel Elementary art teacher Jaye Boswell, the first president of DDWS, the late Bud Ryckman and his late wife Martha.
Click here
to read all about it in the
Santiva Chronicle
.
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Needed: Nature Store Volunteers
The Refuge Nature Store needs volunteers for weekend shifts this summer. If you love working with people and have mornings or afternoons on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays free,
please
email
Store Manager Alison Conger or call her at 239-472-1100 ext. 241. Shifts run 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 12:30 to 4 p.m.
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Florida House Rep Visits "Ding"
Representatives from the Refuge, DDWS, SCCF, and the City of Sanibel welcomed Heather Fitzenhagen (fourth from right in dark shirt), the 78th district Florida house representative, to "Ding" Darling on Monday, April 18. The representative asked to see the Refuge and Visitor & Education Center firsthand to learn more about the
impact of water quality on the long-term health and viability of the Refuge and Sanibel Island.
Rep. Fitzenhagen has demonstrated significant personal commitment to improving water quality, sponsoring Florida House Bill 989, which recently established a dedicated funding source of some
$200 million annually for Everglades restoration. She also sent a letter to the state's emergency management team asking for any and all available resources to address the problem and to get the South Florida Water Management District to develop an urgent plan to send water south.
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Congrats to Mike Baldwin
Thanks to his tireless work on behalf of local water quality, Board Vice President Mike Baldwin was elected board member and co-chair of the
Everglades Coalition at a recent conference. Congratulations, Mike, and a big thanks for your dedication to conservation.
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Lecture Videos on YouTube
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Watch our last lecture of the series - The Florida Trail Guide - here.
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Although the 2016 Free Lecture Series is over, you can continue to watch recorded lectures from this season on
the DDWS YouTube channel.
They are always available: anytime, any place!
Thanks to our 2016 Lecture Series sponsors.
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Help Save Our Island
"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
The Mangrove Cuckoo (image by Geri Biggs) and Gopher Tortoise (image by Terry Baldwin) are a few of the special creatures the Wulfert Road acquisition will protect.
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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Get ready for Florida summer with
BalmIT!: It's an insect repellant, it's a sunscreen, it's a skin lotion all in one. Natural ingredients such as neem oil to repel bugs and beeswax to reflect UV rays (SPF 30) make BalmIt! a better choice for summer protection. Shea butter, camphor oil, hemp oil, and lemongrass go into BalmIt! to benefit your skin, your nose (it smells better than other bug potions), and your entire well-being. For $15.99 an 8-ounce bottle, you get two products in one.
 All proceeds from Nature Store sales go directly to Refuge education and research projects. It's a win-win-win buy!
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Thank you to our Sponsors!
Whopper thanks to our 2016 sponsors
Title Sponsor:
Presenting Sponsor:
Platinum Sponsors:
Gold Sponsors:
Silver Sponsor:
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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Filmed by refuge volunteer Jim Bennight this Anhinga is feeding her babies at the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
Every day is a new discovery. |
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It's the season of love! Many pairs of animals and young families have been seen together at the Refuge.
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Snowy Plovers by
France Paulsen
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Alligator pair by Jim Bennight
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Otter Family by Ruth Schudel
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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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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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