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"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
February 28, 2019
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Click the logo to learn more about our 45/82 Society and leaving "Ding" Darling in your estate.
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We WON! Click
HERE to read more about America's best restroom.
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Black-crowned night heron by David Jeffrey
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TOMORROW, March 1
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Warner Shedd
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Debunking Wildlife Myths Lectures
Myth: Beavers can fell trees in the direction that they desire. Fact: Beavers simply gnaw around a tree until it falls, and occasionally a beaver is killed when a tree falls on it. It is one wildlife misconception that the book
Owls Aren't Wise & Bats Aren't Blind: A Naturalist Debunks Our Favorite Fallacies
about Wildlife corrects. Its author, Warner Shedd, brings two special free slide presentations to the Refuge on Friday, March 1, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. -- part of the 2019 "Ding" Darling Friday Lecture series. A former forester with READ MORE
Lecture Series Seating Policy
Lectures take place in the admission-free "Ding" Darling Visitor & Education Center. Seating for the lectures is limited and available on a first-come basis. Early arrivals can save their seat and one extra with personal items and then can explore the Visitor & Education Center or Indigo Trail before the lecture starts. Saved seats must be filled 15 minutes before lecture time or they will be assigned to the next people waiting in line. We recommend arriving an hour before the lecture to save seats.
Click
HERE
for lecture series flyer.
Th
anks to our 2019 lecture series sponsor.
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Free Refuge Programs Underway
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The Horseshoe Crab program, every Monday at 11 a.m., uses realistic replicas to teach about the ancient creature's anatomy and lifestyles.
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The Refuge's calendar of daily free tours and programs for winter 2019 is underway and will continue through Sunday, April 28. Daily programs begin at 8:30 a.m. and include such diverse activities as Nature Photography, Beach Walk, Endangered Species, and Indigo Trail READ MORE
Click HERE for a schedule of free seasonal activities.
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Need Donations NOW: 68-Acre Land Acquisition
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Acquisition Committee Member Dick Levinson updates the progress sign at Wulfert Bayous to reflect current donations above 2.5 million.
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 On February 13, at the Go Wild fundraiser, the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society went public with its project to raise $3 million in private donations to complete the $9.5 million acquisition of Wulfert Bayous, the last large parcel of unprotected undeveloped land on Sanibel Island. Click
HERE
to read more about the project and to make contributions.
Click
HERE
to watch our short video about campaign.
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Committee members Jim Sprankle and Mike Baldwin raising funds and awareness at the Sanibel Farmer's Market |
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"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society 68-Acre Preservation Campaign Video
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Help the Refuge: Solve the Problem of Septic Systems
By Sarah Ashton & Jim Metzler, DDWS Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs
As we have discussed in several newsletters, improving the quality of the
water that surrounds the Refuge requires a series of actions on the part of both the state of Florida and the federal government. We sometimes overlook, however, the importance of actions by local governments, such as replacing septic systems with effective sewer systems. Nearly 40% of Floridians rely on septic tanks instead of
READ MORE
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Wednesday, March 6:
JANE Documentary Film
The seventh annual "Ding" Darling Wednesday Film Series continues its biweekly showings on
March 6 with
JANE
at 1 p.m. in the Refuge Visitor & Education Center. A National Geographic film,
JANE
tells the story of Jane Goodall and her extraordinary work in the once male-dominated field of chimpanzee research. Called the "best documentary of 2017," it uses never-before-seen footage that READ MORE
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| Official Film Trailer: JANE | National Geographic |
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Education at the Refuge
Conservation Educator Sara Hallas teaches The Sanibel School second-graders about alligators and crocodiles at a monthly class at the Wildlife Education Boardwalk. The Refuge hosts more than 8,000 students throughout the school year, many of them from title-one underserved schools. To learn more about supporting student conservation efforts, call 239-472-1100 ext. 4
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UPCOMING LECTURE
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Yve Morrell
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Friday, March 8: First Woman Big Year Winner Lectures
In 2017, Naples resident Yve Morrell became the first woman to tally the most species of birds for the American Birding Association's North American Big Year, with a count of 817. The devoted birder presents two free programs at the Refuge on Friday, March 8, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. -- part of the 2019 "Ding" Darling Friday Lecture series and in celebration of International Women's Day and Women's History Month.
An annual, informal competition, the North American
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| 2019 Lecture Series Sponsor |
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Big Year sees birders canvassing the continent to break previous records. The
h
igh
est record count to date was in 2016 with
READ MORE
Click
HERE
for lecture series flyer.
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Experience Tarpon Bay Tours
Tarpon Bay Explorers, the Refuge's official recreation concession, offers tours both on land and in the water. Buy your tickets for the daily (except Friday, when Wildlife Drive is closed) naturalist-narrated tram tour at the booth in the Visitor & Education Center parking lot. For boating and paddling tours and rentals, check in at the Tarpon Bay Recreation Area, 900 Tarpon Bay Road. Bike rentals and fishing charters are also available from that location.
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Go Wild Tallies In
Click
HERE
to read a Florida Weekly
article about Jim Sprankle's contributions to "Ding" and beyond.
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Acquisitions Committee Chair John McCabe and auctioneer Richard Johnson "work the crowd" for donations to Wulfert Bayous' preservation.
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Auction items brought in nearly $75,000, including Andrew Corke's Osprey sculpture from recycled bike tires and Jim Sprankle hand-carved Osprey jewelry pieces - inspired by
this video about Jim's creative process. More than $410,000 was raised toward Wulfert Bayous land acquisition in a Bid to Give auction.
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Watch "Feather Jim" Sprankle's creative process
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Click above to see our sponsors
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Woodring 100th Anniversary Exhibition
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| The exhibition simulates the home and its yard, celebrating 100 years. |
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The public is welcome to view the free
Woodring 100th Anniversary Exhibition
now on display in the Visitor & Education Center Auditorium through March 25. Visit Sunday through Thursday (closed Fridays) 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thanks to our sponsors below for making this exhibition possible.
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 In each issue of "Ding" on the Wing, we showcase one of the more than 560 refuges across the U.S.A.
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Images courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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Location:
Alamosa, Colorado, part of the San Luis Valley NWR complex (11,169 acres)
Totemic Fauna: Lewis' Woodpecker, American Avocet, Sandhill Crane
Fun for the Family: Hike or bike the Rio Grande River Trail to see wildlife at its best.
Visitor's Tip: The visitor center is closed October to March.
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Keep Vinyl Stickers out of Our Waterways
Our new wood stickers come in eight different designs from Dust City Stickers, a Denver, Colorado-based company that uses sustainable wood sourced from the Midwest. Each sticker is a thin, flexible wood veneer sprayed with a hydrophobic clear-coat that protects it against water and UV damage. They will hold up for about as long as you'd expect a vinyl sticker to last, but when they do break down, they essentially become mulch. They are even dishwasher safe - lasting for more than 20 washes. The hang tags for the larger stickers are made from recycled paper and their plastic bag packaging will biodegrade in as little as three weeks.
Stop in and pick up your wood stickers today. Or contact Store Manager
Ann-Marie Wildman at 239-472-1100 ext. 241 for more information about mail-ordering these and other
featured products.
Remember, members of "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society receive a 10% discount at the Nature Store. Profits from all Nature Store sales go directly to the Refuge for educational programs and wildlife research.
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In each issue of "Ding" of the Wing, we share a quick tip on how you can turn your lifestyle greener. For more information on being environmentally aware, visit our
Go Green web page.
Responsible Yard Waste Disposal
Much of the yard waste that homeowners place at the curb for recycling into mulch  or compost actually ends up with the regular trash in landfills or incinerators. Why? It has been stuffed into plastic bags. Most community waste facilities will simply toss these bags into the trash because the branches and twigs inside make them too difficult to efficiently empty. Solution: Instead of containing your yard waste in plastic bags, use easy-to-dump containers or biodegradable paper bags designed specifically for yard materials. You can find them at most gardening stores or online.
Doing Our Part to Reduce Plastic
"Ding" Darling is committed to and has led the way on the islands in reducing the single-use plastic products that plague our planet and threaten wildlife. Thanks to DDWS' efforts, we have eliminated plastic shopping bags and one-time-use plastic water bottles in the Refuge Nature Store and at Tarpon Bay Explorers' gift shop. In recent years, the Refuge has also installed a filtered water refill station and DDWS has transitioned to compostable plates, cups, and flatware for event use. We have a no-straws policy.
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Click
HERE to see this week's wildlife sightings
David Jeffrey caught this male Anhinga drying its feathers on the Refuge this past week.
Thanks for sharing!
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 Development Officer,
Sierra Hoisington, for a chance to be featured in upcoming newsletters.
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Volunteer Awards Luncheon - March 26, 2019
Free Refuge Summer Programs - June 5-August 3, 2019
Clyde Butcher Photography Exhibition
- November 12, 2019-February 6, 2020
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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 Christopher Gutierrez & April Boehnen.
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