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The DDWS staff has been busy bringing the healing sunshine and beauty of the Refuge to the public through 30-second social media videos. Follow on Facebook to see our #DailyDoseofDing, brief virtual visits to the Refuge for those who can't make it.
The posts have become a much-anticipated feature, boosting Facebook numbers to more than 15,500 followers.
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Whether you live on Sanibel Island or in a completely different environment in faraway places like Arkansas or Rhode Island, we want to see what you're seeing in your habitat while you are staying safe at home.
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Thank you to Pat and John Guyette for sharing backyard nature photos of Green Anoles from their home in Greenville, North Carolina.
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Please email your nature photos so we can share them in "Ding" on the Wing and by social media. Include details about the photographer and where the photo was taken.
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about becoming part of our new monthly giving program.
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Looking for Nature Store Volunteers
Exciting volunteer opportunities are now available for when the Nature Store, located inside the "Ding" Darling Visitor & Education Center, reopens. Enjoy free parking, short four-hour shifts, volunteer discounts, and wonderful new friendships among the many benefits of joining our team. Store management is offering interested individuals an initial walk-through of our flagship store to show you our new COVID-compliant measures before you start.
Contact Carrie today to schedule your tour at 239-472-1100 ext 241 and receive our iconic Spoonbill Logo Mask as our thank-you for joining us.
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Green Halloween
The WWF offers tips for a green Halloween. Although trick-or-treating and parties may not be in the plans for this pandemic year, decorations can add a festive note to the season. Here are five recycling tips from WWF:
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Turn stockings with runs into spider-webbing.
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Paint foam peanuts (packing materials) and turn them into worms.
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Turn cardboard boxes into tombstones.
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Make other creative decorations with netting from bags of oranges, cotton balls, leaves and branches from the yard, etc.
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Reuse your decorations from the previous year.
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New Virtual Plant Trails Open
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|  | For an ABC7 TV broadcast, Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland creates a video of Education Intern Patrick Carney, who led and photographed
the plant project,
explaining how to use it.
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On Sunday, October 11 -- to mark the start of National Wildlife Refuge Week -- "Ding" Darling debuted its new Plant ID on the Go virtual vegetation trail at Wildlife Drive, Indigo Trail, and Bailey Tract. Signs at each site show a QR code that visitors can scan with their smartphones to download a guide, with
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The QR code sign on Wildlife Drive
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images and descriptions of native vegetation they can find along the way. The descriptions include how each plant benefits wildlife. From home, plant-lovers can download the guides from the
Ding at Home page before they visit, to conduct their own backyard plant explorations, or to learn more about native Florida vegetation.
This project was made possible by support from the Elaine Jacobson Education Fund at DDWS.
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We would love to add additional sponsors. EMAIL April for more information.
Champion Level Sponsors
Guardian Level Sponsors
Protector Level Sponsors
Defender Level Sponsors
To join in the memory-making by becoming a sponsor, contact Development Officer April Boehnen at 239-472-1100 ext. 4.
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2021 Film Series 
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A scene from The Swamp: DDWS is airing the film, which was canceled in 2020 because of COVID, on February 3.
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The ninth annual "Ding" Darling Wednesday Film Series kicks off its biweekly showings this winter with a schedule of seven films from January 20 through April 14. The documentaries explore natural facets -- from the world's largest and rarest bird of prey, and conservationist Rachel Carson; to food waste, and man's interference with the Florida Everglades. One of the season's highlights, The Swamp, on February 3, chronicles READ MORE
Many thanks to our 2021 Film Series sponsor. |
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| | Welcome Back! Photo by Sylvia Guarino |
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Blast from the Past
As we approach the official
December 1, 2020, we take a look back, through historic photographs, at the past three-quarters of a century.
 In 2006, Tarpon Bay Explorers (TBE), the Refuge's recreational concession, began the tradition of awarding scholarships to local students for studies in conservation-related fields. TBE awarded four $1,000 scholarships that year. Through the past 15 years, "Ding" Darling scholarships have expanded with support from 10 or more donors each year. During that time, more than $147,000 has been awarded to deserving students. In this picture from 2006, then-DDWS President Jim Sprankle (left) and TBE co-owner Winston Spurgeon award scholarship checks to the first four recipients.
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Share a Hug with Someone You Love
Hugs are a universal way of telling someone you care. For loved ones near or far, our hug-in-a-box gift package is designed to be gifted to anyone in need of a little comfort, a little love, a hug, and maybe a little sugar too. Available exclusively on ShopDingDarling.com, each package includes a super soft and cuddly hugging bear, an 8-ounce package of Krema Gummi Bears, a keepsake bookmark, and a special thank-you postcard. Include your own special message in the notes section of your order, and our staff will handwrite the message and include it in the box.
Be among the first to learn about the latest gifts available by online order at our Shop Ding Darling Instagram page. Shoppers in the know - more than 280 followers - are at the head of the line for what's new on our e-commerce site.
Remember, profits from all Nature Store sales go directly to the Refuge for educational programs, wildlife research, and overall conservation efforts.
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'America's Best-Kept Secret'
In each issue of "Ding" on the Wing, we showcase one of the more than 560 refuges across the U.S.A. that is open to the public.
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| | Images courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
Location: 7,500 acres; Pleasanton, Kansas
Totemic Fauna: Barn Owl, Coyote, Green-winged Teal
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| | | Photo credit: Rebecca Clemens | |
Click HERE to see this week's wildlife sightings.
Green Herons have recently been spotted at the refuge! Did you know that Green Herons are one of the few bird species that has been known to use tools as means to hunt? They often use food, insects, or feathers as makeshift lures for fish.
To see more wildlife photos click on our social media links:
If you have taken any beautiful, interesting, or just plain goofy photos at the Refuge, send them to Development Officer Sierra Hoisington, for a chance to be featured in upcoming newsletters.
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75th Anniversary Proclamation at City Hall - November 3, 2020
Holiday Shopping Events - November-December 2020
National Bird Day - January 5, 2021
Volunteer Training - January 14, 2021
Clyde Butcher Book Signing - February TBA
2021 Annual Go Wild for "Ding" - February 10, 2021
Earth Day at the Refuge - April 22, 2021
Artist-in-Residence Exhibition - October - Mid-November 2021
Niki Butcher Photographic Exhibition - Mid-November - December 2021
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These are just snapshots of some of the things taking place at your Wildlife Refuge. Please check our website to learn more!
Sincerely,
"Ding" On The Wing composed by Chelle Koster Walton. Designed by interns Cait Nalley and Hollis Hatfield
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