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Memorial & Honor Gifts
Click HERE to see gifts made in honor of and in memory of friends and families to DDWS during October 2019.
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December 4
All active members of the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society are invited to attend its annual meeting at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, December 4, in the "Ding" Darling Visitor & Education Center Auditorium. Click
HERE
for the meeting's agenda. Click
HERE
to learn how to become a member of DDWS.
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Marilyn Kloosterman "8545"
Challenge Grant
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Marilyn receiving a volunteer award from Refuge staff
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An anonymous donor has issued a challenge grant in the name of the late Marilyn Kloosterman, a longtime volunteer and member of the Board of Directors. The grant will match dollar for dollar any donation made in memory of Marilyn u
p to the amount of hours she donated to the Refuge in her 34 years of service, which amounts to $8,545. These gifts in her memory will go to establish a permanently endowed
Marilyn Kloosterman Education Fund to support the conservation education work at the Refuge.
To donate to the fund, please click HERE and note that the donation is in memory of Marilyn Kloosterman. Or call 239-472-1100 ext. 4. A memorial service for Marilyn is scheduled for November 16 at 2:00 p.m. at the Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ (2050 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel).
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"Ding" E-Store now open.
BUY NOW!
Fans of the "Ding" Darling Nature Store will no longer have to wait until they visit the Refuge to purchase some of the unique souvenirs and gifts the store has become known for. On Monday, ShopDingDarling.com went live for purchasing from anywhere in the U.S. DDWS operates the Nature Store to support the Refuge through the sale of logo apparel and memorabilia, kids toys, eco-friendly kitchen accessories, art, birding guides and other nature books, fair-trade decorative pieces, and a wide variety of gifts related to nature and  conservation.
In phase I of the store's e-commerce site rollout, it carries an inventory of items available for online order. Gradually, staff will add more items, but in the meantime, in-store items not included on the site still are available by phone order at READ MORE
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Event Tickets on Sale
Buy them for holiday gifting. Buy them for yourself.
Tickets are currently on sale for four big events this coming season.
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February 12, Go Wild for "Ding" - Lovin' Spoonbills fundraiser at 5:30 p.m., The Community House. Tickets $150, include silent and live auctions, dinner, and entertainment.
Thank you to our sponsors to date: Call to the Wild: Jim & Patty Sprankle. Champion: Barbara & Todd Bluedorn Protector: Hank & Linda Spire; Doug & Sherry Gentry; Mike & Terry Baldwin; Tiffany Kaliko & John Silvia; Ron E. & Josephine Smith; Sarah Ashton Broker Assoc.- ReMax of the Islands. Defender: Mitchell's Sandcastles; Sanibel Moorings; Gresham Family, William & Barbara Millar; RS Walsh Landscaping; Stewart & Sons Insurance. |
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March 10, "Twist Tie Optional" Luncheon for Project Refuge: A Couture Fashion Show Using Trash at 11 a.m., Sanctuary Clubhouse. Tickets $100, include lunch and fashion show.
Thank you to our sponsors to date: Guardian: Lee County Solid Waste. Protector: Pfeifer Realty Group
Defender: Jim & Patty Sprankle; Mitchell's Sandcastles; Doug & Sherry Gentry; Sanibel Moorings. |
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March 20, Michael Grunwald
The Swamp
lecture at 7 p.m., The Community House. Tickets $30, include book-signing.
March 20, Michael Grunwald
The Swamp
cocktail and nosh reception at 5:30 p.m., The Community House. Tickets $125, include author meet-and-greet, VIP lecture seating, and book-signing.
Thank you to our sponsors to date: Defender:
Click
HERE for an entire calendar of season's events
Tickets to events make great gifts!
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Pfeifer Realty Group Sponsoring Two Events
 Eric and Mary Ellen Pfeifer of Pfeifer Realty Group recently presented DDWS Executive Director Birgie Miller with a check for $2,500 to support two events in the upcoming 75th Anniversary Season. It is sponsoring the Project Refuge: A Couture Fashion Show Using Trash on March 10 at the Protector level and The Swamp author events on March 20 at the Defender Level. Many thanks to the local business for its support of wildlife and conservation education.
Sponsorships help DDWS raise support for all conservation efforts.  Sponsorships are still needed for all events.
Call Dot at 239.472.1100 ext. 239 and become a sponsor!
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| Moonrise, one in Clyde Butcher's American Everglades Collection; image by Clyde Butcher |
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The public is invited to the free kick-off celebration of the Refuge 75th Anniversary Clyde Butcher Photographic Exhibition on
Wednesday, November 13, starting at 9 a.m. in the "Ding" Darling Visitor & Education Center.
Guests will be the first to view Butcher's American Everglades Collection. The opening will include refreshments and, starting at 10 a.m., an opportunity to meet the world-famous photographer, who will be available for a limited number of book signings outside the
READ MORE
Special Thanks
 Thanks to Mark & Gretchen Banks for sponsoring the exhibition, and to
Wayne & Linda Boyd for sponsoring the opening celebration.
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$15k still needed to reach the match by Dec. 31
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Buy Clyde
In preparation for the November 13 opening of the
Clyde Butcher Photographic Exhibition
, the Refuge Nature Store is stocked with exciting souvenirs and collectibles. Besides the nature artist's top-selling photography books, you will find notecards and stunning baseball caps and T-shirts featuring one of Clyde's most iconic images of the elusive Ghost Orchid. The back of the T-shirt identifies the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Both are tagged "Clyde Butcher Photography."
Shop to support the Refuge at store's two upcoming events. During regular store hours on Sunday, December 1, The Refuge Nature Store is participating in
Museum Store Sunday
, a special shopping experience encompassing one-of-a-kind stores across the nation and showcasing their varied and uniquely curated mission-specific gifts. Tuesday, December 3, our annual
Holiday Shopping Night
runs after hours from 5 to 7 p.m. Click
HERE
to read more.
Shop then or stop in today to pick up your Clyde Butcher books and other gifts. Or order online at ShopDingDarling.com. Otherwise, contact Nature Store Manager
Ann-Marie Wildman
at 239-472-1100 ext. 241 for information on mail-ordering store 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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November 9: Tarpon Bay Explorers Saturday
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TBE boat tours visit the rookery islands of Tarpon Bay.
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As part of the Refuge's
75th Anniversary Celebration
,
Tarpon Bay Explorers
, "Ding" Darling's official recreation concession, will be offering free and discounted activities through November 2020. The first Tarpon Bay Explorers Saturday takes place this weekend with a whopping 25% discounts on all kayak and nature boat tours that day. Click
here
to read about all that TBE has in store during coming months.
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December 2: 'Ding' Studio Exhibit Unveiling
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Artists' renderings of the new exhibit
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As the official kickoff to the 75
th
anniversary season for J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Refuge staff and "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society will host a public unveiling of an exhibit makeover and new mural dedicated to the historic achievements of the Refuge's namesake. The unveiling takes place Monday, December 2, at 9 a.m. in the Visitor & Education Center.
Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling twice won Pulitzer prizes for the political cartoons he penned over 50 years, a great deal of them conservation-related. The updated "Ding" Studio Exhibit recreates his workplace at the
Des Moines Register
, which carried his cartoons on its front page daily. Whereas earlier, the exhibit was cordoned off, now visitors can enter and become part of the life of "Ding." Added enhancements, made possible with DDWS funding, will include READ MORE
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Happy Veterans Day
We salute all our readers who have served or are serving in the military. Because Veterans Day on Monday, November 11, is a federal holiday, all Refuge offices and the Visitor & Education Center will close. Wildlife Drive remains open and admission is FREE that day for all visitors from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Also open that day: Tarpon Bay Explorers, Bailey Tract, and Indigo Trail.
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Now, as the year winds down, is the time to start planning for charitable deductions on your 2019 income taxes. New tax laws make it even more lucrative to adults ages 70-1/2 and older to make
contributions
.
Your contributions to the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society support water quality studies, wildlife conservation, and the opportunity to educate future generations on the importance of preserving the planet.
Learn more
about making a year-end gift to support the Refuge through DDWS.
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 DDWS Host Sponsor for the 2020
EVCO Conference
Registration is now open for the
35th Annual Everglades Coalition Conference (EVCO) to be held
January 9-11, 2020, at the South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island. The conference brings together community leaders, decision makers, agency representatives, political figures, and the general public to discuss and debate critical and timely issues related to Everglades restoration. It is the largest annual forum to advance Everglades conservation and restoration.
In addition to being the host sponsor, DDWS will be moderating a breakout session during the conference titled "
National Wildlife Refuges: 800,000 Acres in Support of Everglades Restoration." The session will focus on the importance of the Refuge System and the conservation of its lands to Everglades restoration and all Floridians.
For more information on the event and how to register please click
HERE
.
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We occasionally hear from former interns and staff who have gone on to do great things in the world of conservation since leaving "Ding." Recently, Lydia McPeek, who worked as our very first DDWS intern in 2011 (then Lydia Templin), sent us an email. She serves now as Development Officer at the Morris Animal Foundation in Denver, Colorado.
"I am loving my new job at MAF and learning a lot about the world of animal health," she wrote. We are always so proud of protégés such as Lydia who carry on the Refuge's mission of conservation.
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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.
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Bobolink |
Location: 11,586 acres, Ortonville, Minnesota
Totemic Fauna:
Ball Cactus, Bobolink
Visitor's Tips:
Take the wildlife drive to see the diversity of habitats that the refuge protects. Look for the refuge's unusual species of endangered cactus along the Rock Outcrop Trail.
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| Images courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
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Ball Cactus
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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.
Food Waste
Did you know that roughly one third of the food produced worldwide for human consumption gets wasted or lost every year? That adds up to approximately 1.3 billion tons. (
Source
)
Tossing edible food doesn't only waste money. The food often ends up in landfills, where it rots and produces methane gas -- the second most common greenhouse gas. In other words, throwing out food contributes to climate change.
In the face of dwindling food supplies and increasing worldwide hunger, it is important to turn the tables on food waste at home. Start by shopping wisely, storing food properly, and learning how to preserve food and repurpose scraps such as potato peels and mushroom stems. Visit
healthline.com
for more tips.
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. We encourage others to do the same!
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Click
HERE to see this week's wildlife sightings
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| Photo by: Scott Joffe |
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American White Pelicans have been spotted on Wildlife Drive this week! Did you know, c
ontrary to popular belief, pelicans never carry food in their bill pouches? Although they use their bills to scoop up food, they swallow their catch before flying off.
T
o 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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Stay tuned as our calendar of special activities to celebrate the Refuge's 75th anniversary grows and flourishes through 2020.
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Museum Shopping Sunday
- December 1, 2019
World Environment Day/National Bird Day Celebration - January 3, 2020
75th Anniversary Film Series
- January 8-April 1, 2020
World Wetland Day - March 3, 2020
Global Recycling Day - March 18, 2020
Earth Day at the Refuge - April 22, 2020
Endangered Species Day at the Refuge
- May 15, 2020
Official 75th
Anniversary Celebration
- December 1, 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 April Arthur & April Boehnen.
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