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This year's Sanibel Blues & Jazz Festival will be taking place on Sunday, November 3, from 12-7 p.m. A portion of all proceeds comes back to support the Refuge.
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Earlier, on October 8, judges had selected three winners and 11 honorable mentions out of 191 entries from 20 states and Switzerland - one of the highest number of entries in the contest's 27 years. All photograph entries were shot at the J.N. "Ding" Darling
READ MORE
View all of the winning entries from this year's contest online or on Facebook.
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We are half-way to the goal!
WoW $50k Challenge Grant
We Need Donations Big & Small
 DDWS has received an anonymous challenge grant to help raise support to bring the Refuge's Wildlife on Wheels (WoW) project to fabrication. The grant will match donations made by December 31, 2019, dollar for dollar up to $50,000. "If the challenge is met, and we raise the additional $100,000, we will have nearly reached our goal of $255,000 for making WoW a reality and bringing it into underserved communities in
READ MORE
Now's the time t
o be planning for
y
ear-end giving
for tax write-off purposes in 2020. Please consider making your year-end donation in support of our WoW project and
double your impact
! Click here and note "WoW" project or contact Birgie Miller at 239-472-1100 ext. 4.
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Limited Time Offer: Everglades-Caught Python Products
For a limited time only, the Refuge Nature Store is carrying an exclusive line of products made from the skins of Everglades-captured Burmese Pythons. Because the exotic snakes are decimating native wildlife populations in the Florida Everglades, trained and hired hunters have been capturing them to be euthanized through the state conservation programs. The Refuge Nature Store supports these wildlife conservation efforts with the sale of python handbags, wallets, coin purses, money clips, and other quality products.
Stop in today to pick up your python products. Or 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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Python Skin Donation
 At his "Ding" Darling Day python presentation, Mike Kirkland, manager of the
Python Elimination Program for the South Florida Water Management District, presented Acting Refuge Manager Kevin Godsea with the skin from a 90-pound, 15'2' Burmese Python, one of the first captured in the bounty hunting program.
"The skin that I gifted the Refuge is very special to me because it marks the beginning of the program that has forever changed my life," said Mike. "My wife Sarah and I are avid birders and have been fans of 'Ding' Darling long before my involvement with python management. The two times that I've been invited to speak there were both great honors for me, and I have never received such a warm welcome any time or anywhere before than I did by you and your staff. For the important work 'Ding' does in preserving valuable habitat for our native wildlife, for the great support of your staff and patrons for our program, for the incredible kindness you've shown, and as a reminder to the public of the significant threat that invasive pythons pose to South Florida's natural environment, I have donated this item and would be very proud to have it displayed at your nature center."
Thank you to Bank of the Islands & Edison National Bank for sponsoring this informative Python presentation.
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Clyde Butcher at work, image by Woody Walters
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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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 BIG 'Ding' Darling Day
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Families interacted with wildlife - from butterflies to an Indigo Snake - at "Ding" Day.
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A little rain couldn't dampen spirits at the 31st annual
"Ding" Darling Day
on Sunday, October 20. The activity-filled day brought a good crowd to enjoy wildlife presentations, archery, fishing lessons, nature crafts, wildlife yoga, hands-on art, hot dogs, and tours - all for free.
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The International Game Fish Association offered hands-on fishing skill lessons, and the Sanibel Island Fly Fishing Club was back showing children and adults how to cast during Ding Day.
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Big thanks to all our generous
sponsors
, who make "Ding" Days possible.
Roseate Spoonbill Sponsor
Great Egret Sponsor
Great Blue Heron Sponsors
Reddish Egret Sponsors
Snowy Egret Sponors
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Cartoon Contest Winner
Zachary Yoshida from Cypress Lake Middle School took first place in the annual "Ding" Darling Conservation Cartoon Contest, as announced Sunday at "Ding" Darling Day. His explanation of his winning cartoon says: "The lady represents the ocean as it is surrounded by smog and built-up trash, slowly leading the sea to death."
Zachary won among a field of 203 fifth through eighth graders from six Lee County schools. The contest, which has been running for more than 25 years, honors the legacy of Jay Norwood Darling, who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his political cartoons in the early 1900s.
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December 3: Holiday Shopping Night
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| Nature Store staff will unveil the limited-edition Luc Century ornament for 2020 that night. You can pre-order a numbered (1/175 to 175/175) ornament now by calling 239-472-1100 ext. 241. |
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Free refreshments, extended hours, and complimentary gift wrapping: Mark your calendar for Tuesday, December 3, the date of the Refuge Nature Store's sixth annual Holiday Shopping Night in the "Ding" Darling Visitor & Education Center. Staff
will keep the store open two extra hours after the center closes, from 5 to 7 p.m.
The date also marks the nationally promoted Giving Tuesday, and the store will set up a Giving Tree that allows donors to easily contribute to education, land acquisition, and research READ MORE
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Save the Date: Award-Winning Author
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Michael Grunwald |
With our coastline under siege from red tides, algae, and rising seas, Michael Grunwald's award-winning book about the Florida Everglades' backstory has never been more relevant or urgent. On
March 20, 2020, the author will make a special appearance at The Community House on Sanibel Island, hosted by DDWS to benefit water-quality research and education at the Refuge.
The bestselling Florida author will be doing book-signings at
two separate events on Friday, March 20. An exclusive cocktail and nosh reception with an author meet-and-greet starts at 5:30 p.m. for a limited number of ticketholders. At $125 each, reception tickets also include reserved VIP seating at his 7 p.m. lecture that will follow. Tickets for the lecture only are $30. All tickets will go on sale
November 1, 2019.
The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise, which informed the 2018 PBS documentary The Swamp, tells the story of the manmade destruction and attempted
READ MORE
Thanks to our sponsors who make these author events possible:
Guardian Sponsors
Defender Sponsors
ADDITIONAL Sponsors Needed!
CALL Dot Voorhees at 239.472.1100 ext. 4 to become a sponsor
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Store Volunteers Needed
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| Store volunteer Barb Broadhurst helps tidy up around the shop. |
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The Refuge Nature Store is looking for volunteer assistance in staffing the cash register and for other retail tasks. It's a great way to meet people from all over the world while supporting the conservation and education efforts at the Refuge. Store personnel are looking for workers any day of the week, but particularly on weekends. For details, contact Store Manager
Ann-Marie Wildman at 239-472-1100 ext. 241.
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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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Red-cockaded Woodpecker |
Location: 26,400 acres east of Naples, Florida
Totemic Fauna: Florida Panther, Big Cypress Fox Squirrel, Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Visitor's Tips: While the majority of the refuge is closed to public access, two hiking trials explore refuge habitat. Occasional tours may be offered during the winter, depending on staff or volunteer availability. Call for more information.
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| Florida Panther; images courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
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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.
In a recent issue of Time magazine, Troubled Water: What's Wrong with What We Drink author Seth M. Siegel names lack of regulation, great expense, and even arsenic as compelling reasons to kick the plastic water bottle habit - an $18.5 billion habit in 2017. "The answer lies in improving the nation's drinking-water infrastructure through advance filtration systems-and publicizing that effort-so tap water becomes a more appealing option."
Click HERE to read the article 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. 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: Virginia Bayne |
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Yellow-crowned Night Herons
can get themselves into some silly-looking positions. This one seems to be drying its wings and calling at the same time. Virginia Bayne entered this photo in the 2019 "Ding" Darling Day Amateur Photo Contest and received Honorable Mention.
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
75th Anniversary Film Series
- January 8-April 1, 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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