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"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
March 14, 2019
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Click the logo to learn more about our 45/82 Society and leaving "Ding" Darling in your estate.
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We WON! Click
HERE to read more about America's best restroom.
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68-Acre Land Preservation Campaign Video
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 TODAY
C
elebrating the National Wildlife Refuge System's 115th Anniversary with "Teddy Roosevelt"
1:00 p.m.
Refuge Visitor & Education Center Auditorium
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  TOMORROW
March 15
Sea Level Rise Lectures
"Ding" Darling senior biologist Jeremy Conrad will address climate change and sea level rise on a global and local level during two special presentations at the Refuge on Friday, March 15, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. -- part of the 2019 "Ding" Darling Friday Lecture series. His "Sea Level Rise: Globally & Locally programs will draw possible correlations between recent water quality issues and global influences. "While some of our water quality issues can be attributed to climate change, my discussion will focus
READ MORE
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The "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society has gone public with its project to raise $3 million in private donations to complete the $9.5 million acquisition of Wulfert Bayous, the last large parcel of unprotected and undeveloped land on Sanibel Island. Click
HERE
to read more about the project.
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| Captiva Residents. Joan and Don Sherman, along with their dog, Bob, made a significant commitment to the land preservation campaign and are encouraging others to help make the thermometer explode beyond the goal! Pictured with the Sherman's is DDWS Vice President Sarah Ashton (far right) |
To make donations or pledges in person,
contact Birgie Miller
, DDWS Executive Director at 239.292.0566
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Upcoming Lecture
Friday, March 22: Pythons Lectures
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Dusty "Wildman" Crum, who has been featured on the
Today Show
and History Channel, is one python hunter who will present on March 22.
Image courtesy of Joey Waves
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Researchers believe Burmese pythons have decimated their own food supply of prey in the eastern Everglades and Miami-Dade County, says Michael Kirkland, python program manager for the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). In response, he has expanded SFWMD's python elimination program, deploying python hunters into Collier County, to where the snakes are moving to find more prey. He, along with three hunters, presents two "Pythons: The Hunters, the Science" programs at the Refuge on Friday, March 22, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. -- part of the 2019 "Ding" Darling Friday Lecture series. "That's part of the reason we do this," said Geoff Roepstorff, who hunts the nuisance snakes, often with this wife Robbie, both owners of the Bank of the Islands on Sanibel. "Living on Sanibel, those things
READ MORE
 Special thanks to HighTower Advisors, Thomas & Swartz for sponsoring this 2019 lecture series.
Lecture Series Seating Policy
Lectures take place in the admission-free "Ding" Darling
Visitor & Education Center. Seating for the lectures is limited and available on a first-come basis. Early arrivals can save their seat and one extra with personal items and then can explore the Visitor & Education Center or Indigo Trail before the lecture starts. Saved seats must be filled 15 minutes before lecture time or they will be assigned to the next people waiting in line. We recommend arriving an hour before the lecture to save seats.
Click
HERE
for lecture series flyer.
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Wednesday, March 20: Giant Pythons
 The seventh annual "Ding" Darling Wednesday Film Series continues its biweekly showings on March 20 with PBS'
Invasion of the Giant Pythons
at 1 p.m. in the Visitor & Education Center. Florida's Everglades is home to unique and endangered species. However, the region has become a popular dumping ground and haven for nonnative Burmese pythons that are decimating native wildlife. Follow scientists and snake hunters as they study the problem and try to find solutions to READ MORE
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| NATURE | Invasion of the Giant Pythons | Preview | PBS |
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Free Refuge Programs Underway
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Follow the free Birds & Wildlife Tour caravan along Wildlife Drive every Monday and Thursday at 9:30 a.m.
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The Refuge's calendar of daily free tours and programs for winter 2019 is underway and will continue through Sunday, April 28. Daily programs begin at 8:30 a.m. and include such diverse activities as Nature Photography, Beach Walk, Endangered Species, and Indigo Trail READ MORE
Click
HERE
for a schedule of free seasonal activities.
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Sunday, March 24
Ralph Woodring Story Hour
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Ralph's stories were a hit when he opened the exhibition with Teddy Roosevelt reprisor Joe Wiegand on January 23.
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As the two-month Woodring Home 100th Anniversary Exhibition nears its end on March 25 in the Visitor & Education Center Auditorium, native islander Ralph Woodring will present a story hour at the exhibition starting at 1 p.m. the day prior, March 24. Visitors can view the exhibition Sunday through Thursday (closed Fridays) 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Click
HERE
to learn more.
 For a keepsake of the Woodring exhibition, check out the book and notecards by the late historic photographer, Charlie McCullough, who chronicled the Woodring home and family -- available in the Refuge Nature Store.
Thanks to our sponsors below for making this exhibition possible
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Woodring 100th Anniversary Exhibition
Centennial Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
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Would Dispersed Water Management Help the Refuge?
by Sarah Ashton & Jim Metzler, DDWS Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs
According to a
University of Florida report, about 1.6 million acre-feet of storage are needed in the broad area surrounding Lake Okeechobee to support the types of water management activities that would significantly benefit the Refuge. Of that total amount, 400,000 acre-feet are needed along the Caloosahatchee River. The construction of reservoirs such as the
EAA and the
C-43 is a major step toward achieving that goal. However, these reservoirs provide only a fraction of the necessary storage, require significant upfront funding, and take a long time to be approved, planned, and
READ MORE
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Doc Ford's: 2019 Title Tarpon Tournament Sponsor
Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille -- with locations on Sanibel Island, Captiva Island, and Fort Myers Beach -- has again committed to being the title sponsor for the 2019 "Ding" Darling & Doc Ford's Tarpon Tournament. Proceeds benefit wildlife and conservation education at the Refuge. The tournament pays out 100 percent of the entry fees, which could amount to
READ MORE
The tournament supports Refuge projects entirely through sponsorships. To become a tournament sponsor, please contact
Dot Voorhees
at 239-472-1100 ext. 239.
Click
HERE
and scroll to page 64 to read coverage of the 2018 tourney by a Scottish journalist who participated. The article published in a French and English magazine and website for a reach of 45,000 readers/viewers.
Thanks to those sponsors who have already stepped up to make this another stellar event.
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STARTING POSITION Sponsor
CHAMPION Sponsor
PREMIER Sponsors
PRESENTING Sponsors
PLATINUM Sponsors
GOLD Sponsors
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March 31: Scholarships Application Deadline
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DDWS Education Committee Chair Wendy Kindig, DDWS Development Officer Sierra Hoisington, 2018 scholarship recipient Jake Joers, and scholarship donor Wendy Schnapp, co-owner of Tarpon Bay Explorers, which began the scholarship program.
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Application deadline for a number of
conservation scholarships from the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society, ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 each, is March 31. High school seniors, college students, and graduate students in or from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades counties pursuing degrees in environmental-related studies can apply. The scholarships will be awarded at a special ceremony at the Refuge in June 2019. Now in its 13th year, the DDWS scholarship program presented its first awards in 2006 from
READ MORE
Click here for an application and more information.
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Citizen Science: Report Mating Horseshoe Crabs
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Horseshoe crabs mating.
Photo by Penny Corely
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Spri
ng is peak mating season for horseshoe crabs, and biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are encouraging reports of sightings with the FWC Reporter application. Horseshoe crabs mate year-round, and it is most common to see
READ MORE
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Adidas/Parley Support 'Ding'
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Zachary and his mother Anna and father Kevin sell a line of Adidas shoes and other sports clothing made from fish nets, plastic water bottles, and other forms of plastic that have been gathered from the oceans and beaches.
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Click
HERE to read how the Lee family of College Park, Maryland, has turned ocean plastic pollution and their love for Sanibel into a line of sportswear and a way to support "Ding" Darling.
To purchase products made from ocean plastic and support DDWS with your purchase, click
HERE.
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 In each issue of "Ding" on the Wing, we showcase one of the more than 560 refuges across the U.S.A.
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Images courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
Location:
Eufaula, Alabama (11,184 acres)
Totemic Fauna:
American Alligator, Wood Duck, White-tailed Deer
Fun for the Family
: An 8-mile drive meanders through the refuge.
Visitor's Tip:
To make your trip more enjoyable, you may want to bring sunglasses, bug spray, water, sunscreen, and comfortable shoes for biking, hiking, and walking.
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Wood Ducks
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White-tailed Deer
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Get in Python Style!
Keeping in theme with our upcoming python lectures and film showing, this week we feature our python-pattern Rainrap. The Nature Store carries eight different colors and patterns of the stylish, water-repellent, and lightweight wrap. It's also reversible, giving you two garments in one. Fast drying, it has two shell buttons, a concealed magnetic closure, and matching travel pouch.
Stop in and pick up your wrap today. Or contact Store Manager
Ann-Marie Wildman
at 239-472-1100 ext. 241 for more information about mail-ordering these and other
featured products.
Remember, members of "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society receive a 10% discount at the Nature Store. Profits from all Nature Store sales go directly to the Refuge for educational programs and wildlife research.
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In each issue of "Ding" of the Wing, we share a quick tip on how you can turn your lifestyle greener. For more information on being environmentally aware, visit our
Go Green web page.
Plastic Crisis
"The amount of plastics that ends up in our oceans is reaching crisis proportions," reports the Rachel Carson Council. "Plastic pollution is not only threatening our waters and marine life, but also the human food chain and our health," the report continues.
A couple of disturbing facts from the bulletin:
Click
HERE
to read the report in its entirety.
Doing Our Part to Reduce Plastic
"Ding" Darling is committed to and has led the way on the islands in reducing the single-use plastic products that plague our planet and threaten wildlife. Thanks to DDWS' efforts, we have eliminated plastic shopping bags and one-time-use plastic water bottles in the Refuge Nature Store and at Tarpon Bay Explorers' gift shop. In recent years, the Refuge has also installed a filtered water refill station and DDWS has transitioned to compostable plates, cups, and flatware for event use. We have a no-straws policy.
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Click
HERE to see this week's wildlife sightings
Jim Bennight caught this pair of Pileated Woodpeckers on the Indigo Trail boardwalk.
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o see more wildlife photos 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 Development Officer,
Sierra Hoisington, for a chance to be featured in upcoming newsletters.
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Ralph Woodring Story Hour - March 24, 2019
Volunteer Awards Luncheon
- March 26, 2019
Free Refuge Summer Programs
- June 5-August 3, 2019
Clyde Butcher Photography Exhibition
- November 12, 2019-February 6, 2020
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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 Christopher Gutierrez & April Boehnen.
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