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"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
January 4, 2018
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| Refuge funding continues to decline and it is private philanthropic support that helps fill in the gaps. Thank you for your support. |
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Vote for 'Ding'
Click
here
to vote for "Ding" Darling Refuge as the top Florida attraction in USA Today's 10Best.com readers' poll. Visit every day in the next 11 days to push us to the top! Share on social media and get your friends voting, too.
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The documentary film
Wings of Life
kicks off the sixth annual free "Ding" Darling Wednesday Film Series on January 10, at 1 p.m. in the "Ding" Darling Visitor & Education Center auditorium. Narrated by Meryl Streep and produced by Disneynature, this intimate and unprecedented look at butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, bats, and flowers celebrates life, which ultimately depends upon these creatures. A third of the world's food supply rides on the fate of these increasingly threatened species of unsung READ MORE
Click
here
for a printable 2018 Film Series flyer.
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Thank you to our 2018
Film Series Sponsor
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At 11 a.m. today and every Thursday, join the free
Gators & Crocs program at the Crossdike Pavilion. Image by Lina Kochanowski
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The seasonal calendar of free Refuge programs and tours began on
Tuesday and runs through April 8. Daily programs begin at 8:30 a.m. and include such diverse activities as Nature Photography, Beach Walk, Birds of Prey
READ MORE
Click
HERE
for a printable calendar of programs. Click
HERE
for program descriptions.
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#LearningLav Makes News Again
In its December 31 article "They said what? The very best quotes of 2017," the Fort Myers
News-Press
featured "Ding" Darling and its Learning Lavatories. Refuge Manager Paul Tritaik's quote made the cut: "We wanted to transform a necessary nature call into an innovative nature enthrall." Click
here
to read the article, which included a photo of the men's restroom's interior. Click
HERE
to read more about our ongoing #LearningLav project.
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2018 Lecture Series
Click
HERE
to view a schedule for the 2018
Friday Lecture Series, which runs
January 18 through April 13
.
HighTower/Thomas & Swartz Wealth Management
sponsors the free 12-lecture series with support from the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society.
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Dinner with Stephen Kress
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Dr. Kress with a puffin chick
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Only 40 seats remain
for Dinner with Stephen Kress, noted bird activist, at "Ding" Darling on February 22. He will speak about his work restoring tern and puffin populations in Maine and his latest book,
Puffin Project: An Improbable Quest to Bring a Beloved Sea Bird Back to Egg Rock
. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society hosts the exclusive Dinner with Stephen Kress starting READ MORE
To register for Dinner with Stephen Kress, click
HERE. Tickets are $100 per person.
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Look What Santa Brought!
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DDWS Executive Director and Intern Sierra Hoisington display the Horseshoe Crab model made possible by a donor to our Wish List this holiday season. Durable and perfect for interpretive programs, the replicas are the first of their kind.
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Volunteer Patty Wettstein uses the new Horseshoe Crab replica in her interpretive program each Tuesday at 11 a.m.
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'Ding' Donor Family Visits
Family of the late Howard Buhse, Sr., stopped for a visit last week. Associate Executive Director Sarah Lathrop and Executive Director Birgie Miller welcomed Rachel Brady and Cindy Buhse. The girls' grandfather donated spotting scopes for use along Wildlife Drive. The family also has a long affiliation with Island Inn on Sanibel.
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Go Wild Auction Item
It has become a well-loved tradition at our a
nnual
Go Wild for "Ding"
fundraiser, taking place this season on
February 14
at the Sanibel Community House. Each year, world-renowned bird
sculptor and DDWS Emeritus Board Member
"Feather Jim" Sprankle
carves a feathered head pin to auction and benefit Refuge education and research. They are one-of-a-kind wearable and highly collectible works of art.
The winner of this year's Green Heron Feathered Head Pin becomes the head of the privileged ranks of the
Sprankle Feather Club for the coming year. The club flocks together for a special event each year, and the head gets to help decide the year's occasion. There will also be a coveted carved Sprankle Green Heron Feather.
Please call the DDWS office at
239-472-1100 ext. 4 if you wish to see the piece "in person." It and the feather will be on display before each lecture of our
Lecture Series prior to Go Wild.
This year's Go Wild theme is "In the Nest" to celebrate our Love of all things "Ding" Darling! Click
here to read more, and go online to register
here.
Only 75 seats remain, so don't wait to register for this sell-out event.
Thanks to our generous sponsors who make this event possible...
2018 Sponsors:
CHAMPION
PROTECTOR
DEFENDER
To become a sponsor, please call Carrie Alexander at 239.472.1100 ext. 4
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High School Photo Contest Deadline
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Theodore Cross published Waterbirds
in 2009 at age 85; he passed away shortly thereafter in February 2010. He traveled the world to collect stunning portraits and stories, shooting often at "Ding" Darling.
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The deadline for the fifth annual "Ding" Darling-Theodore Cross High School Photography Contest is
January 15, 2018
. High school students from a five-county area have the opportunity to win prizes such as a Canon camera package, chartered class field trips to the Refuge, Refuge Nature Store gift certificates, and excursions at
Tarpon Bay Explorers
, the Refuge's recreation concessionaire. Winners also receive copies of
Waterbirds: Portraits and Anecdotes from Birding Adventures
by contest namesake, the late Theodore Cross, who lived part-time on Sanibel Island READ MORE
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AT THE REFUGE NATURE STORE
Stay warm and stylish in this new Roseate Spoonbill zipped hoodie constructed of a soft, distressed-look fabric. It features a Roseate Spoonbill pocket-sized image on front and SANIBEL ISLAND at the waistband in back. Cost is $43.95.
Stop in and pick up warm-weather "Ding" apparel for yourself and friends today. Or contact Store Manager
Jeanne Walsh
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. Proceeds 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" on the Wing, we showcase one of more than 560 refuges in the U.S.A.
Location
:
138 acres near Netarts, Oregon
Totemic Fauna
: Peregrine Falcon, Tufted Puffin, Stellar Sea Lion
Fun for the Family
:
Winter is prime whale-watching time. Short hikes take you to Oregon's shortest lighthouse or the champion Sitka Spruce and "Octopus Tree."
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Sitka Spruce, image courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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Do You Plan to Include 'Ding' Darling in Your Estate Plans?
Read about our
45/82 Society, and please
email us or call 239-472-1100 ext. 4 about becoming a member of this special group of people.
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Click
here to see this week's wildlife sightings
A rare snowbird was spotted in the Refuge just before the new year: a
Greater Scaup. Breeding all the way up in northern Canada, the Greater Scaup rarely migrates down farther than Northern Florida and tends to hang around the Great Lakes and California in winter.
Another species of duck, the
Northern Shoveler, is back on Sanibel for the winter. The Northern Shoveler is a dabbling duck, meaning it dips its bill just below the surface of the water as it swims along to forage for food. In contrast, the Greater Scaup is a diving duck that completely immerses its body below the surface to capture food.
Thanks to Janet Kirk for sharing both of these great photos.
T
o see more wildlife photos like this one, 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 Philanthropic Coordinator,
Carrie Alexander
, for a chance to be featured in upcoming newsletters.
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Volunteer Awards Luncheon
- February 9, 2018
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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 Sierra Hoisington and Amanda Brooks
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