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"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
March 16, 2017
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TOMORROW, Friday, March 17 Lecture
In 2002,
Julie Zickefoose, intrigued by the quick development of baby songbirds, began to draw and paint wild nestlings day by day, recording their swift growth and fledging. Over the next 13 years, the artist, writer, and naturalist documented daily changes in 17 bird species from birth to flight. Julie will discuss her journey and resulting book,
Baby Birds: An Artist Looks into the Nest
, during two free presentations at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, March 17, as part of the 2017 "Ding" Darling Lecture Series at
READ MORE
Thank you to our 2017 Lecture Series Sponsor
Lecture Seating Policy:
Seating for all lectures in the Visitor & Education Center Auditorium is limited and available on a first-come basis. Early arrivals can save one seat each and then may explore the Visitor & Education Center or Indigo Trail before the lecture starts. Saved seats must be filled 15 minutes before lecture time.
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Denege Patterson
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Friday, March 24 Lecture
Denege Patterson, an archaeology tour guide from the Randell Research Center of Pineland, Florida, introduces 24 of the 90-some islands that share Pine Island Sound with Sanibel and Captiva islands in her book
A Tour of the Islands of Pine Island Sound: A Geological, Archaeological, and Historical Perspective
. A series of breathtaking aerial photographs and color maps will accompany the author's two free presentations at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday READ MORE
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 Solar Meeting: March 27
Two island organizations are pairing up to host "Go Solar, Sanibel!" -- a program about solar energy for island residents and businesses that takes up where the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society's San-Cap Solar Connect left off last March. The League of Women Voters of Sanibel and the Green Team of the Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ (SCUCC) will bring James M. Fenton, Ph.D., the director of the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), to Sanibel to talk about recent changes in the market that are making solar energy less costly. The program will start at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 27, at SCUCC, 2050 Periwinkle Way. Admission is free. Dr. Fenton's presentation READ MORE
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New Lecture Announced
Because of a scheduling conflict, the
April 7
lecture has changed to Craig A. Koppie, co-author of Mr. President and the First Lady: The DC Eagle Cam Project. He will present two free lectures at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. about his longtime fascination with raptor nests, his work restoring decimated bald eagle populations in the late 1970s, and his part in installing the eagle cam at the United States National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., in 2015.
A wildlife biologist with the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife
Service for more than 30 years, Craig has also written READ MORE
Note: Originally scheduled for
April 7, photographer, cinematographer, and sound recordist
Gerrit Vyn
will now be part of our 2018 Free
Friday
Lecture Series.
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The multi-award-winning film Bag It!: Is Your Life Too Plastic?
will show on Earth Day, revealing, in an entertaining manner, just how plastic crazy we really are and how we can change the pattern.
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Earth Day at the Refuge
Bike or hike Wildlife Drive for free, see a free film, and take advantage of free programs at this year's Earth Day at the Refuge on
Saturday, April 22, 2017
. We will celebrate the 47th anniversary of Earth Day with activities that include an earth-friendly Family Story & Craft, free Gators & Crocs and Birding the Refuge programs, and the appearance of Bagzilla READ MORE
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Audubon-Inspired Art Exhibit on Display
A group of local fine artists are displaying their works at the Refuge Visitor & Education Center through April 27, 2017. Cello Bennett, widow of the late artist Gale Bennett (1939-2008), curates the "Audubon Inspiration," along with artists Marcy Calkins and Jane Hudson. Before hi
s
death in 2008, Gale Bennett, a local artist with an international reputation, taught for 40 years at art centers in the area. He was planning a series of paintings inspired by the works of famed bird artist John James Audubon.
"Unfortunately Gale did not live long enough
READ MORE
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6th Annual "Ding" Darling & Doc Ford's Tarpon Tournament
May 19, 2017
TITLE SPONSOR:
PREMIER SPONSORS:
PRESENTING SPONSORS:
Mark & Gretchen Banks
GOLD SPONSORS:
Don & Ann-Marie Wildman
SILVER SPONSORS:
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Go Wild for "Ding" fills the house each year.
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Mark your calendars now for the sixth annual fundraiser for the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society on Wednesday, February 14, 2018
,
at the Sanibel Community House. Stay tuned to "Ding" on the Wing for next year's Go Wild for "Ding" theme and other details.
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Award-winning contemporary historian and best-selling author, Douglas Brinkley, spoke at the Refuge March 14 to a sold-out crowd. He was kind enough to sign several copies of his newest book, "Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America" to sell in the Refuge Nature Store. If interested, contact store manager, Jeanne Walsh at 239.472.1100 ext. 241
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If you're latest bucket-list goal is to visit as many of the more than 550 national wildlife refuges throughout America as possible, you are going to need this book. The
Blue Goose Passport
gives snapshot information about each refuge and allows
you to track your visits by getting stamped at e
ach stop. The
booklet costs $9.95. 
Also new in the Nature Store: Flour sack towels selling for $15.50 each depict original art of your favorite Refuge creatures. Stop in and pick up your booklets and towels today, or call
Store Manager Jeanne Walsh
at 239-472-1100 ext. 241 for more information about these and
other featured products
.
All proceeds from 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.
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Quino Checkerspot |
Location
:
3.4 million acres near Homer, Alaska
Totemic Fauna
: Northern Fur Seal, Steller Sea Lion, Red-legged Kittiwake
Fun for the Family
:
Hike the trails, and
explore the beach.
Visitor's Tip
: Don't miss the annual Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival in May.
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Photo by Fran Spencer
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Spotted on the Refuge this week: a playful otter splashing in a pond and two alligators sunning together.
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 Society intern
Carrie Alexander
for a chance to be featured in upcoming newsletters.
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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 intern Carrie Alexander
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