March 10, 2022

:Miss last weeks' Douglas Chadwick lecture? We will have it online soon. Thanks again to sponsors The Jenni & Kyle Foundation and Diane Esslinger.

Lecture Series flyer

March is a perfect time of year to celebrate the impact of women in our personal lives and throughout the world through International Women's Day and Women’s History Month. Spring is when the world begins to shake off the winter and move into longer and brighter days. Here at the Refuge, we celebrate and recognize women in conservation both in our past and our present.

We encourage each of you to take a moment to reflect on the amazing women who helped shape you into the person you are today and give them thanks. Consider a gift in their honor or memory to benefit the conservation work at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge.  All donations will go to support the Dr. Louise Merrimon Perry Fund Conservation Fund for Girls (LMP Fund for Girls), which was established to recognize a strong, independent woman who impacted Sanibel Island, its residents and the Refuge. 

Someone once said, “Little girls with dreams become women with vision.” The LMP Fund for Girls supports projects and events encouraging women and girls to learn, grow, and explore with nature. 

To ensure your donation goes to the LMP Fund for Girls, please note “LMP Fund” in the gift comments section.  Make a gift NOW and honor a woman in your life.

Read more on the topic in the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Conservation in History Journal.

Cape Coral High student Dani Mosser’s “Fly” won first place.

Theodore Cross High School Photo Contest Winners

Following a contest judging on February 25 at the Refuge, DDWS announced winners and honorable mentions in the ninth annual “Ding” Darling-Theodore Cross High School Photography Contest.

Sponsored by the Theodore Cross Family Charitable Foundation, the competition invites high school students from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades, and Hendry counties to compete for prizes that include a Canon digital SLR camera package, chartered class trips to the refuge, Tarpon Bay Explorers excursions, and copies of Waterbirds: Portraits and Anecdotes from Birding Adventures by contest namesake, the late Theodore Cross.

Cross, who lived part-time on Sanibel Island, marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; advised the Johnson and Nixon READ MORE

View an album of all contest winners.

March 18: Bald Eagle Lecture

From Pulitzer-winning author Jack E. Davis, The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America's Bird has been long awaited. Hot off the presses, the book takes us from the bald eagles’ relationship with native peoples to its dawning as an American symbol and imperilment at the brink of extinction. Davis will speak about his book at his free lecture on Friday, March 18, for the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society. It will take place at The Community House at 2173 Periwinkle Way on Sanibel Island starting at 10 a.m.

Filled with spectacular stories of founding fathers, rapacious hunters, heroic bird rescuers, and the lives of bald eagles themselves—monogamous creatures, considered among the animal world’s finest parents—The Bald Eagle is a cultural and READ MORE

Sponsors

Remember, profits from all Nature Store sales go directly to the Refuge for educational programs, wildlife research, and overall conservation efforts.

Retail Help Needed

The “Ding” Darling Nature Store team is looking for a new member. We are seeking an individual for a part-time, paid role, someone who will head our 2250 Periwinkle Way location for two days a week. Currently the biggest need is for Fridays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Preferably, this will be a year-round position, however, we are flexible and can adjust the schedule to better suit a qualified individual. The staffer might also cover the flagship location inside the Visitor & Education Center at the Refuge on an as-needed basis. If you or someone you know is interested in joining the “Ding” team in a creative, hands-on role, please email Chris Galloway or call the store at 239-472-1100 ext. 241 for details.

March 31: Scholarships Application Deadline

Application deadline for about a dozen scholarships amounting to more than $20,000 from the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society is March 31. Ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 each, the scholarships are available to high school seniors, college students, and graduate students in or from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades counties pursuing degrees in environmental-related studies. Now in its 16th year, the DDWS scholarship program presented its first awards in 2006. To date, the program has awarded nearly $200,000. Interested students READ MORE

Scholarship donor Wendy Schnapp, Tarpon Bay Explorers, with past scholarship recipients

GOING GREEN 

Repurposing Plastic Bottles

With apologies to Paul Simon, there must be 50 ways to reuse a plastic bottle so it doesn’t end up in the sea or landfill. In fact, For Our Seas Health (FOSH) lists 60 ways.

So, if you MUST buy plastic bottles, here are five novel ways to recycle.

1. This little food hack is a game changer. Keep a clean plastic bottle on hand in the kitchen for recipes that call for separating egg yolks. Watch this video demo
2. Try this for keeping your plants hydrated while you’re on vacation; learn more here
3. We all have bits and pieces laying around in the garage. Why not use your old plastic bottles to tidy things up a little? See photo.
4. Make a cat toy by cutting some holes in a bottle. Add treats, and let your cat bat it around until they fall out.

This one we actually found on Instagram. Once you use a plastic water bottle to make these fritters, you’re likely to discover similar uses and reasons to keep that bottle instead of tossing it.  

These are just snapshots of some of the things taking place at your Wildlife Refuge. Please check our website to learn more!

Sincerely,

Birgit Miller, Executive Director

"Ding" On The Wing composed by Chelle Koster Walton. Designed by Christina Hester & Hayley Caylor.