TOMORROW January 28: Nature Can Heal Lecture

Dr. Joseph Blanda, a recently retired orthopedic surgeon who now helps people with wellbeing and mindfulness, will deliver a free, in-person lecture titled “Nature Can Heal” on Friday, January 28, at The Community House on Sanibel Island starting at 10 a.m. Doors open at 9 a.m., and seating is first-come.

By sharing his knowledge on how the outdoors can cure us, Dr. Joe hopes people will get more involved in helping nature heal. A member of the Sierra Club since 1989, he now sits on the executive committee for the Portage Trail Group of the Sierra Club promoting inclusion, sustainable living, and political awareness. He is an active board member of the Conservancy for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, where he leads mindfulness walks in nature.

Dr. Blanda is one of three experts presenting during the Refuge’s upcoming Wellness Week, February 7-12. “Ding” Darling will record his January 28 lecture to present virtually on February 10. He will also be leading a Mindfulness Walk at Bailey Tract and other activities that week.

“For my lecture, I will discuss my Big Year of birding, how it helped me heal from the loss of my son, how that deepened my love of nature and made me more of an advocate for nature,” said Dr. Joe.

Photograph: Nature-healing expert Dr. Joe Blanda at Bailey Tract

8.5 Acquisition Closing

After more than six years in the making, the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society closed on an 8.5-acre land addition to the Refuge on January 21. The DDWS Board of Directors, under the leadership of Past President and Emeritus Board Member John McCabe, began work on the acquisition in 2014 by opening initial conversations with property owner John Boone.

“So much has happened between that time and now, but the end result is that another piece of important Sanibel land is being protected, which the Refuge will work with DDWS in restoring and managing,” said DDWS Executive Director Birgie Miller. “It’s hard to believe this purchase finally happened, but it is testament to the power of conservation-minded people and the difference their support can make.”

Late last year, DDWS put out an urgent plea to raise additional funds for the purchase after steeply rising property values and READ MORE

Artist in Residence Exhibition

With the recent reopening of the Visitor & Education Center, free art exhibitions have returned to the Refuge Auditorium. Currently, 2021 Artist in Residence Rachel Pierce exhibits her work inspired by the Refuge.

In the spirit of Refuge namesake -- Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling, artist and Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist –DDWS hosts the Artist-in-Residence program, culminating in an exhibition of the artist’s work. The 2021 program featured Rachel, who was unable to mount an exhibition last year because coronavirus had caused the closing of the Center.

Her current showing of paintings runs through February 28 daily during normal Center hours, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Works are for sale through the Refuge Nature Store inside the Center.

The second guest artist in residence at the Refuge, Rachel retired recently as a longtime anchor for a local television station to devote her time fully to her art, which features whimsical, impressionistic portraits of wildlife. She currently resides on Sanibel Island.

Artists in residence at “Ding” Darling conduct free art activities for visitors and collaborate onoutreach programs for underserved children in the greater community. DDWS soon will be releasing information about its 2022 guest Artist in Residence.

Claudia, Doris, and Carol

Salute to Monofilament Busters

As the terrific trio of Doris Hardy, Claudia Burns, and Carol Strange hangs up their scissors after 11 years of clearing monofilament and other harmful fishing gear from mangroves in the Refuge and beyond, we would like to thank them and their small team of Operation Scissors (and Operation Jaws before that). Diligently, they have been helping to clear the Refuge for the benefit of our wildlife, preventing the perils of entanglement, which often result in severe injury and death.

The trio and their team have spent countless hours in kayaks plying the island waters. They will stay involved as they pass the scissors to a new monofilament removal team. In the meantime, please remember to dispose of your fishing gear responsibly. Currently, the Mind Your Line initiative works collaboratively with island organizations including CROW, “Ding” Darling, SCCF, and the City of Sanibel in clearing larger areas of the islands.

Hancock Creek Elementary students love their reusable water bottles!

WoW Spreads 'Kick the Bottle' Message

“Ding” Darling’s WoW (Wildlife on Wheels) mobile outreach classroom teaches many lessons to the students and community it reaches. One lesson that DDWS makes stick is single-use plastic bottles are bad for the environment. They do so by providing every student at every school WoW visits – which is more than 7,600 students since its inception in January 2021 – a free, reusable water bottle. To date, we have distributed more than 5,000 bottles to students.

Read a thank-you from Hancock Creek Elementary for the water bottles and WoW experience.

Free Season Refuge Programs

Following the new protocol for free Winter Refuge Programs, staff and volunteers are offering a revolving schedule of programs through April 16. The schedule changes weekly according to staffing availability. All programs take place outdoors with a limit of 10 participants. Please wear a mask when unable to maintain a safe distance of six feet from one another.

On the Refuge Eventbrite Page, you will find details of the week’s tours so you can pre-register. (Please cancel your reservation if you are unable to make it.) Upcoming programs:

• TODAY, January 27: Bailey Tract Walk, 8:30 a.m.
• TODAY, January 27: Gators & Crocs Talk, 1:30 p.m.
• Friday, January 28: Indigo Trail Tour, 9:30 a.m.
• Friday, January 28: Birds of the Refuge Walk, 1:30 p.m.
• Saturday, January 29: Biking the Refuge Tour, 9:30 a.m.
• Saturday, January 29: Beach Exploration, 10 a.m.
• Monday, January 31: Beach Walk, 10 a.m.

Photograph: Volunteer Ross Spencer leads Refuge biking tours most Tuesdays at 9 a.m.

January Biology Highlights

Refuge Biological Science Technician Avery Renshaw (ipartially supported by DDWS) reports on Refuge biology activities for the month:

• Annual Gopher Tortoise burrow surveys completed in January: We completed these surveys all over the Refuge, but mainly focused in our upland areas.

• Assisted in Sanibel Island Rice Rat trapping, a project completed with University of Florida: We collected data to better understand the threats of rising sea levels and competition from invasive species.

• Continued with monthly Bunche Beach shorebird surveys in conjunction with SCCF: Many Red Knots were spotted at Bunche Beach on these surveys. (Exciting!)

Photograph: Gopher Tortoise in its burrow

Refuge Volunteer Coordinator

From intern to a four-year term ranger position to now a permanent Refuge staffer, Katy Hosokawa was recently assigned the title Volunteer Coordinator. She fills the position vacated by longtime ranger Jeff Combs, who retired in fall 2020.

“We are so thrilled to have Katy in a permanent position and filling this role that is so important to Refuge operations,” said Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland. “Our volunteer corps is crucial to us. Although volunteer numbers are down somewhat because of the pandemic, we still count on volunteer hours, which are roughly the equivalent of 10 fulltime staffers currently.”

A native Texan from the small town of Azle, Katy graduated from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in geography. She then went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, where she studied environmental geoscience. Before starting at the Refuge in June 2020, Katy held a naturalist position at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Texas.