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The DDWS staff has been busy bringing the healing sunshine and beauty of the Refuge to the public through 30-second social media videos. Follow on Facebook to see our #DailyDoseofDing, brief virtual visits to the Refuge for those who can't make it.
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Paperless Refuge Maps
To save trees and minimize human contact during the pandemic, Refuge staff has created maps of the Refuge and the Refuge System that you can upload to your electronic WiFi-enabled devices. Look for QR codes in the kiosk at the bottom of the entrance ramp at the Visitor & Education Center or upload your maps here before you visit.
NOTE: Newer iPhone and Android phone versions include a Neo-Reader App for scanning QR codes. If you have an older version, you may have to download the free app.
 Scan this code for the Refuge's brochure and map.
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Find any of the 560-plus refuges across the nation by scanning this code.
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Last week, 11 staff and interns headed out to Indigo Trail to trim overhanging brush, saw trees, haul debris, and chip it all up for mulch. Salute to them for the hard, sweaty work to keep our Refuge looking tip-top.
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Whether you live on Sanibel Island or in a completely different environment in faraway places like Iowa or British Columbia, we want to see what you're seeing in your habitat while you are staying safe at home.
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| | Thank you to Kent Jager for sharing a backyard nature photo of a Red-headed Woodpecker in Lyman Woods Forest Preserve, in Downers Grove, Illinois. |
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| | Thank you to George Eisenberg for sharing a backyard nature photo of a beautiful hummingbird from Lenox, Massachusetts. |
Please email y our nature photos so we can share them in "Ding" on the Wing and by social media. Include details about the photographer and where the photo was taken.
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Used Binoculars for Education
If you have spare pairs of used binoculars lying around unused, please consider repurposing them for outreach bird program education. We are collecting used binoculars for a program to involve at-risk students in the enriching pastime of bird-watching. Please send your binoculars to "Ding" Darling Society, Attention: Ann-Marie Wildman, 1 Wildlife Dr., Sanibel Island, FL 33957; or call the Nature Store at 239-472-1100 ext. 241 to arrange curbside drop-off at the Refuge. Please include your email address or other contact information so that we can confirm receipt.
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|  | | Calusa Shell Mound Trail has remained open to hikers, along with Indigo Trail, Wildlife Trail, and Bailey Tract trails. | |
Refuge Update
Keep current on Refuge re-openings and post-
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Many are unaware of 4-plus acreage that is part of the "Ding" Darling Complex and adjacent to the beach at Gulfside City Park on Sanibel Island. The land, donated by Dr. Louise Perry upon her passing in 1962, is closed to the public to protect the wildlife that calls it home. Today, it is known as the
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A Little Known Wildlife Sanctuary on Sanibel Island, Florida
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Recently, island photographer Nick Adams created this four-minute video about the history of Dr. Perry and the property.
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September 26: National Public Lands & Urban Wildlife Day
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| | Drive, bike, or hike Wildlife Drive for free on National Public Lands & Urban Wildlife Day. |
For Saturday, September 26, the Refuge has designed three ways to celebrate National Public Lands & Urban Wildlife Day.
1. Visit Wildlife Drive free of charge all day (7 a.m.-7 p.m.). Print out this scavenger hunt before you go, and be on the lookout for wildlife.
2. If you live in Lee, Collier, or Charlotte County, receive a 25% discount off tours and rentals at Tarpon Bay Explorers, our recreation concession. (Bring proof of residency, please.)
3. Support the Refuge by shopping online at ShopDingDarling.com. Curbside pickup is available Monday through Friday.
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Alfredo Carbajal
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As of September 8, Education Intern Alfredo Carbajal has joined the team at the Refuge to help with staffing shortages, thanks to funding from DDWS. He will fill the role as one of two bilingual interpreters and translators for the Refuge's forthcoming Wildlife on Wheels (WoW) mobile classroom and other educational "Ding" programs.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Alfredo graduated from the University of Texas in San Antonio in December 2019 with a major in environmental science and a concentration in wildlife management. He has a special interest in herbaceous and woody plants and also READ MORE
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Lecture Series Sponsors
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| | Thanks to Sanibel Carts for becoming a partial sponsor of the Feather Thief lecture by author Kirk W. Johnson in March. |
Because the pandemic has forced DDWS to move this year's free lecture series to The Community House on Sanibel, our costs to host the lectures have increased significantly. We are seeking one $5,000 sponsor or partial sponsors in increments of $1,000 to cover rental and lecturer fees for each presentation. Below is the lecture schedule and current sponsorship needs. Please contact April Boehnen (239-472-1100 ext. 4) or Birgie Miller (239-292-0566) for more information.
Thursday, February 4 - Photographers Clyde and Niki Butcher, The Everglades, sponsored by Wayne and Linda Boyd
Friday, February 19 - Author Jack Davis, "The Bald Eagle: Symbol and Species in American History," sponsored by Southwest Florida Eagle Cam
Friday, March 12 - Author Paul Bannick, "Great Gray Owl: A Visual Natural History,"
sponsor(s) needed
 Friday. March 19 - Author Kirk W. Johnson, Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century, partially sponsored by HighTower/Thomas & Swartz Wealth Management and Sanibel Carts, additional partial sponsor(s) needed. |
October 1:
Wildlife Drive Fee Changes
Effective October 1, 2020, admission fees to the Refuge's Wildlife Drive will change, the first increase in more than 30 years ago. As reflected in the chart above, daily vehicular admission fees will increase on October 1 from $5 to $10 and annual passes from $12 to $25. Entry fees for pedestrians and cyclists will remain at $1 each for persons ages 15 and older only. Admission to the Visitor & Education Center (when reopened) and Bailey Tract trails is still free. The cost of the Senior Pass, Access Pass, and other federal passes all remain the same and are available for purchase at the Wildlife Drive fee booth (Fridays at Tarpon Bay Explorers).
"The fees help maintain structures, roads, and landscaping across our 7,700 acres and allow us to increase accessibility," said Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland, who oversees Visitor Services. "We also have become increasingly reliant on entrance fees for staff salaries, especially where public safety and security are concerned."
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Get out in a kayak and pay less in September if
you're a local resident.
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During the month of September, Tarpon Bay Explorers is offering a 25% discount on paddlecraft and bike rentals and on-the-water tours to all residents of Lee,  Collier, and Charlotte counties. Please bring identification to verify residency. Visit the website or call 239-472-8900 for more information and reservations.
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2021 Custom 3D Ornament:
Lovin' Spoonbills Edition
The Nature Store is extremely excited to announce the release of its newest custom-created 3D metal ornament: the 2021 Lovin' Spoonbills edition. The central heart of this year's ornaments spins inside a beautiful, brightly-colored frame commemorating the Refuge and your visit to Sanibel Island. Visit ShopDingDarling.com or call (239) 472 - 1100 Ext 241 to purchase yours today.
Clyde Butcher Book Pre-Orders
The Nature Store is expecting shipment of Clyde Butcher's forthcoming photographic book triumph, The Everglades, later this year. We will be selling the new, highly anticipated coffee-table book, whose publication has been held up by the pandemic, for $125 upon delivery. Pre-order today for only $95 each, and watch for announcements of a special book-signing in December.
Follow the latest gifts available by online order at our Shop Ding Darling Instagram page. Shoppers in the know - more than 200 followers - are the first to learn about what's new on our e-commerce site.
Remember, profits from all Nature Store sales go directly to the Refuge for educational programs, wildlife research, and overall conservation efforts.
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Blast from the Past
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Justin McBride, WCIND; Doris Hardy, then DDWS Vice President; Paul Tritaik, Refuge Manager (under the curtain); and Toni Westland, Supervisory Refuge Ranger, helped unveil the exhibit.
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As we approach the official 75th Refuge Anniversary on December 1, 2020, we take a look back, through historic photographs, at the past three-quarters of a century.
On November 12, 2012, the Refuge unveiled the first new interpretive exhibit since the Visitor & Education Center opened in 1999. The Marvelous Manatee Exhibit enhanced the educational value of an articulated Florida Manatee skeleton the Refuge acquired a couple of years prior. DDWS received a grant from the West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND) to build the hands-on exhibit.
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'America's Best-Kept Secret'
In each issue of "Ding" on the Wing, we showcase one of the more than 560 refuges across the U.S.A. that is open to the public.
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| | Image courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
Location: 47,000 acres; Oceanville, New Jersey
Totemic Fauna: Piping Plover, American Black Duck, Atlantic Brant
Visitor's Tip: While many visitors spend their time at the Galloway Township site, there are many other places to visit, including deCamp Wildlife Trail in Brick, Cedar Bonnet Island in Stafford, a trail at Eno's County Park, the Barnegat Boardwalk, and Holgate Beach.
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Has summer left you with a pile of punctured and irreparable water inflatables? PVC is rarely collected from households for recycling, but there is an opportunity to give this plastic a second life beyond ending up in our waterways. Wyatt & Jack Inflatable Amnesty turns them into waterproof bags. It even will reimburse you for postage. #inflatableamnesty
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Click HERE to see this week's wildlife sightings.
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| | | Photo credit: Wendy McKinney | |
Now doesn't this Roseate Spoonbill
look so cozy?
Roseate Spoonbills are still being seen constantly along Wildlife Drive. Always make sure to check the tides before you head out to the Refuge -
low tide is the best time!
To see more wildlife photos click on our social media links:
If you have taken any beautiful, interesting, or just plain goofy photos at the Refuge, send them to Development Officer Sierra Hoisington, for a chance to be featured in upcoming newsletters.
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75th Anniversary Proclamation at City Hall - November 3, 2020
75th Anniversary Celebration & Gala - December 1, 2020 Sponsors needed:
Call April at 239-472-1100 ext. 4 to learn about sponsorship opportunities.
Clyde Butcher Book Signing - December TBA
National Bird Day - January 5, 2021
Volunteer Training - January 14, 2021
Call April at 239-472-1100 ext. 4 to learn about sponsorship opportunities.
2021 Annual Go Wild for "Ding" - February 10, 2021
Earth Day at the Refuge - April 22, 2021
Artist-in-Residence Exhibition - October - Mid-November 2021
Niki Butcher Photographic Exhibition - Mid-November - December 2021
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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 April Boehnen & Sierra Hoisington.
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October 15: Photo Contest Deadline Extended
