November 3, 2022

#DingStrong #SanCapStrong

Monitor our #DingStrong page for updates on hurricane recovery and resources. You will also find Refuge updates and images on the Facebook #SanCapStrong page.

The Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce has created a poignant video urging residents and friends of Sanibel and Captiva islands to complete a form to contact government officials about supporting recovery efforts. The form takes only a minute to complete and we encourage you to please respond to their request.

Refuge Post-Hurricane Updates

As the Refuge team continues to work hard and steadily to clean up, restore, and rebuild habitat and facilities at “Ding” Darling, we all keep its conservation education missions front-of-mind.

Some recent good-news highlights at the Refuge:

The Des Moines Register, where political cartoonist Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling worked for 37 years from 1906 to 1943, recently published images and an ARTICLE about the Refuge’s hurricane damage. Reporter Francesca Block told us she has emotional connections with the Refuge as her grandmother (Judith Adler) and parents (Ron and Janice Chaddock) own homes on Sanibel Island and she has visited for many years.
The Refuge team has so much to be thankful for, and we’re showing it all around the island. Our first THANK YOU sign to first responders and other Refuge supporters went up on the Refuge entrance sign last week. Watch for more to follow.

Refuge Programming & Events

Hurricane damage has meant the closing of the Visitor & Education Center and Wildlife Drive until further notice. Consequently, many programs and events have been canceled. Watch DOTW for news of activities still being planned.

The DDWS Annual Meeting is still on the calendar for Wednesday, December 7, at 1 p.m. Watch “Ding” on the Wing and our website for updates on the meeting’s format.
The annual “Ding” Darling & Doc Ford’s Tarpon Tournament remains on the calendar for May 19, 2023. The opening for registration, however, has been postponed until further notice. Thanks to our 2023 sponsors. To become a sponsor, contact April Boehnen.
With The Sanibel School shuttered, students are traveling to San Carlos Park Elementary in Fort Myers. The Refuge Education Team keeps in touch with them and brings them up to date on Refuge recovery via videos Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland and Ranger Jess Barry record. Here is the latest about the resilience and return of wildlife to the Refuge following the storm. The Sanibel School recently tweeted: “Love that we are still connected to @dingdarlingwildlifesociety Thank you Ranger Toni!”
While staff is focused on recovery efforts, they are making time to offer occasions for locals to engage and heal through Nature during this trying time. Watch for news in the near future of free 30- and 60-minute Mindfulness Walks at Bailey Tract for groups and individuals. Contact Toni or Ranger Jess Barry for times and dates and to reserve a group Mindfulness Walk. Those who can’t access the island and upcoming Mindfulness Walks can tune into the guided podcasts with these links: Anchor. Spotify.

Sanibel School students get a dose of “Ding” while displaced from their island classrooms.

Hurricane Update

We will consistently update our Resource Page and include a hurricane update each week in our "Ding" on the Wing. Please access those sites doing a better job with on-the-ground updates, such as the City of Sanibel. Please call us with any Refuge questions at 239-292-0566.

For residents and businesses affected by Hurricane Ian, here is a printable pdf of resources. We are trying to keep it updated and hoping it helps.

Here are a few new links:

SCCF and FGCU report on Red Tide Blooms after Hurricane Ian
FEMA will provide temporary housing to those in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, and Lee counties.
City of Sanibel listed locations to find water, ice, hot food, grocery items, laundry, shower, charging stations, cleaning supplies, and more on the island.
Florida rivers were swamped due to the storm. Read more.
FEMA looking to hire more than 300 jobs to jumpstart recovery.
PBS Newshour reported on residents struggling with the ability to rebuild.
Hope Healthcare is offering counseling.
First Responders Hotline: 407-823-1657
Join Dr. Paul Simeone, VP of Lee Health Behaviorial Health for a virtual event on November 14 entitled "Your Mental Health After Hurricane Ian". Register HERE
See our Resource Page for additional Mental Health links.
Sanibel residents can now apply for debris removal on private and commercial property through the Hurricane Ian Debris Cleanup Program managed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management. READ MORE

Donors made these gifts to DDWS in honor and memory of friends and families during September and October 2022. Thank you to everyone who supported the Refuge in this thoughtful and meaningful way. Make a memorial or honor donation here.

The Refuge to the Rescue

Throughout island recovery efforts, crews from “Ding” Darling and other regional refuges have helped out with road clearing and clean up. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has “loaned” the Sanibel Fire & Rescue District a brush truck to use while the department’s truck is currently out of commission.

FWS fire personnel is on the islands assisting as power is restored. With a buildup of dead vegetation from Hurricane Ian comes an increased wildfire risk. Sanibel Fire and USFWS prepare for the increased risk with extra equipment and personnel.

Please consider a Year-End Gift to support refuge recovery

In the wake of Hurricane Ian, we know many of our readers are struggling with their own finances and personal rebuilding after the storm. Our hearts are with them, as it is not easy.

For others, year-end tax deductible giving might be an option. If so, we hope you will consider supporting the work at the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge in rebuilding from Hurricane Ian and continuing our education and research mission.

While the Refuge will receive federal funds for recovery efforts, it has been our experience that this funding is never enough to accomplish all the work needed. That is the reason the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society - Friends of the Refuge was established more than 40 years ago. We work to help fill in the gaps where federal funding falls short. DONATE NOW!

Here are some additional tools to help you with donations large and small that can pay off for you as well as for Refuge wildlife.

Those with private foundations, retirement distributions, charitable funds, etc., please consider donating by ACH/Wire transfer.
Learn the benefits and ins-and-outs of Year-End Giving.
Choose something from the Refuge Symbolic Gifts for Wildlife List to focus your donation.
Make giving easy and painless with the DDWS OMG (Once-a-Month Giver) automatic subscription.
Small gestures that cost you nothing can amount to support for the Refuge when you sign up for the Amazon Smile program.

However you choose to support the Refuge in this time of enormous need, we thank you!

WoW Update: Back With Our Friends in Tice

The WoW (Wildlife on Wheels) team celebrated its return to community outreach on Friday, October 28 – one month after Hurricane Ian struck – with an appearance at Tice Elementary’s after-school Title-1 family event. Made possible by the support and leadership of DDWS and its urban outreach initiative, the event fed more than 900 families in partnership with Harry Chapin Food Bank, local churches, and other community supporters. The "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society funds a Community Connector position based in Tice as well as the Urban Outreach Leader who oversees WoW scheduling and education programs. WoW will remain at Tice Elementary through November 10 to teach Sunshine State curriculum tailored to each grade.

On Friday, November 4, WoW participates in the Environmental Education Alliance of Southwest Florida conference at the Florida Gulf Coast University’s Water School.

From Tice, WoW heads to Villas Elementary in Fort Myers November 28-December 9, and then on to James Stephens Elementary in the Tice community. The team will be on hand there Wednesday, December 14, for Fall Fest, which is open to the public.

WoW currently operates with a reduced team due to Hurricane Irma’s impact on staffing. Now, more than ever, Refuge community outreach needs your help. Donate to support the upkeep and programming for WoW efforts to reach Title 1 schools and underserved communities with conservation messaging and education.

Show Us Your #DingStrong Merch

Thank you to everyone who has purchased their #DingStrong merch! We can't wait to see all our supporters in their newest additions to their fall fashion. For your chance to be highlighted in "Ding" on the Wing, send in a photo of yourself wearing your #DingStrong merch to April Boehnen.

If you still need to purchase your merch, you can do so HERE.

Feel-Good Finds

If you have a photo, poem, video, or other feel-good find and you'd like the chance to be highlighted in our "Ding" on the Wing, please email it to April Boehnen.

Duck Stamp Survivor

Special thanks to Judy, a friend of "Ding" Darling, for sending in her feel-good find! Like many SWFL residents, she lost much of her island property and sentimental items. Her home was severely damaged by wind and water. Judy lost her art studio and artwork collection. Miraculously, she found her first duck stamp painting she ever submitted to the federal contest in perfect condition.

Monty the Manatee

Poem by Meghan Prindle

We have a manatee, you see,

Named aptly so: Monty.

He's not as large as those in the sea

Or as leathery.

He's grey and plush and has a beard.

He does tricks and talks and cleans.

He makes us smile, it's been a while,

We love him so, you see.

New ‘Ding’ Refuge Manager

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has named Robert (Bob) Gerwig as J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge Manager as of August . Bob, who served as crew lead for the Refuge’s 2009 summer Youth Conservation Corp program, has been a permanent staff member since April 2019, when he took the position of Wildlife Refuge Specialist.

"Bob has become such an integral part of our 'Ding' team, we welcome his expertise and well-rounded experience," said Kevin Godsea, former Refuge Manager, who currently serves as Project Leader for the Southwest National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes “Ding,” Florida Panther, and Ten Thousand Islands NWRs. "We are confident he’s the one to lead the Refuge forward in these most trying times."

Following his original temporary stint at “Ding,” Bob worked full-time for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for 10 years at the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery in Washington State, rising to the position of assistant manager. More recently, he spent a year working in the Army Corps of Engineers’ Fort Myers office.

"This is coming full circle," said Bob, who became a fan of the Refuge as a child in the 1970s while visiting family from his home in Chicago. "The Refuge is exactly what made me want to go into the field."