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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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Indigo Bunting by Patty MacInnis
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October 4
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Live native snakes will be part of the educational efforts at World Animal Day.
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The Refuge celebrates World Animal Day on
Friday, October 4. Click HERE to read more about this fun-filled day of live animal presentations, films and other activities. Click
HERE for a FLYER
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This Saturday, September 28
The Refuge will celebrate National Public Lands Day and Urban National Wildlife Refuge Day on Saturday, September 28, with a beach clean-up at its Perry Tract
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| Start your morning with a walk on the beach with purpose. |
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and a free film showing. The day, also a designated fee-free day by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), will offer
free admission to Wildlife Drive
. A signature event of the National Environmental Education Foundation, National Public Lands Day promotes both recreational enjoyment and volunteer conservation of READ MORE
Click
HERE
for the flyer.
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A FREE showing of The Forgotten Coast airs at 1:00 pm
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 WoW Challenge Grant:
DDWS recently 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
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An artist's rendering of WoW's design
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Now's the time to be planning for year-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 or 239.292.0566.
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October 1: Project Refuge Application Deadline
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Local artist, volunteer, and wildlife enthusiast Jaye Boswell has submitted her application to become a designer. Using trash, she plans to use discarded garden hose, chicken wire and screen scraps, and plastic water jugs to complete a unique design fit for the fashion runway.
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October 1 marks the deadline to submit an application as a designer for the
Project
DDWS fundraiser for the Refuge and part of its
75th Anniversary Celebration
. DDWS is accepting up to 25 applications for fashion designs made from recycled and repurposed materials to be modeled on the runway on March 10,
2020, for the
fashion show and "Twist Tie Optional Luncheon" that will take place at The Sanctuary
Clubhouse on Sanibel Island. To date, 10 designers and designer teams have officially signed up. Eco-conscious conservationists, wannabe fashion designers, and
READ MORE
Click HERE to print an application and to learn more.
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| Artwork by Toni Ory |
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Sponsors are needed for this exciting inaugural event on March 10, 2020. Click
HERE
or talk to Dot (239-472-1100 ext. 239.
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October 12: Christmas in October
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Look for our new traveling store banner for lots of one-of-a-kind holiday and other gifts.
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The Refuge Nature Store will be participating in the Christmas in October Holiday Party Showcase & Gift Market Event at the Sanibel Community House on Saturday, October 12, from 5 to 8 p.m. The show will feature floral design classes and a number of local vendors selling their wares for the holidays. Click
here
for tickets and more info.
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Work Underway on New 'Ding' Studio Exhibit
Work has begun on a remastered exhibit in the "Ding" Darling Visitor & Education Center devoted to Pulitzer-winning political cartoonist Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling. The new exhibit will upgrade the existing re-creation of the artist's studio at the
Des Moines Register
, from where he penned thousands of cartoons for the daily newspaper that were syndicated across the U.S.
New exhibit highlights include a hands-on feature that allows visitors to draw at his re-created desk, a selfie station with "Ding," and a new 3D 127' x 98' mural centered around a blowup of the first 1935 Duck Stamp, drawn by Darling.
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Take a peek behind the curtain: An artist's rendering of the completed exhibit.
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Click
HERE
to read more about the exhibit in
The Islander
newspaper.
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Merit Badge University 
On October 26, the Refuge will host its second annual Merit Badge University for registered Boy Scouts of America. Support for the program comes from the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society, LCEC, and
Tarpon Bay Explorers
, the Refuge's recreation concession. Scouts from around the nation will have the opportunity to earn up to two out of six badges being offered that day. They include Bird Study, Photography, Cycling, Kayaking, Fishing, and Fly Fishing. Class sessions run from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. The non-refundable, non-transferable cost READ MORE
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Special thanks to LCEC for becoming a sponsor of Merit Badge University!
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Scouts can earn a badge for cycling.
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October 20: 'Ding' Day Free & Discounted Tours
As the
75th Anniversary Celebration
at the Refuge kicks in, staff has planned a "Ding" Darling Day for Sunday, October 20, that will concentrate all the best traditions of the eco-festival into one day of family and conservation art activities, tours, and programs. New this year, the day starts early with staff-guided tours. Refuge Senior Biologist Jeremy Conrad leads an 8 a.m. birding READ MORE
Click
HERE
for a full schedule of the day's activities.
Big thanks to all our generous
sponsors
, who make "Ding" Days possible.
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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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Made for Babies... and Moms
 Angel Dear is a new line of unique modern  baby clothing made from soft, cuddly fabric (95% viscose from bamboo and 5% spandex or cotton). The Nature Store offers an array of items for newborns to 24 months. With fun-loving river otters on our footed onesies and rompers, to whales and sea turtles on our bandana style bibs and swaddling blankets, this line of baby clothes is both darling and practical. Designed by mothers with convenience in mind, the machine-washable rompers and onesies come with an easy snap crotch and zippers hidden by fabric chin guards to protect baby's skin. Watch for new gator designs to arrive in January, when Angel Dear releases its winter line.
Stop in today to pick up your Angel Dear gifts for mothers-to-be, kids, and grandkids. 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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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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Sockeye Salmon
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Location: 3.7 million acres, headquarters in King Salmon, Alaska
Totemic Fauna: Sockeye Salmon, Caribou, Emperor Goose
Visitor's Tips: Refuge lands are remote and accessible only by small aircraft, boat, or rugged cross
country hiking. There are no roads or maintained trails and help can be hours away if needed. Plan accordingly.
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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 Shopping Bags
Plastic bags that end up in the water can be deadly for marine creatures, who often mistake them for a jellyfish snack. It takes 1,000 years for a shopping bag to decompose. So, to keep plastic bags out of the water and landfills, buy reusable shopping bags. Ask your favorite grocery stores to consider eliminating plastic bags. If you do receive a plastic shopping bag, put it to a re-purposed use such as lining a trash can.
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
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| Photo by: John Gamble |
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Thank you to John Gamble for this amazing photo of Red-bellied Woodpeckers.
Oftentimes, Red-bellied Woodpeckers become victims to aggressive European Starlings. In some areas, as many as half of their nests get invaded by starlings.
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. |
Museum Shopping Sunday
- December 1, 2019
75th Anniversary Holiday Shopping Night
- December 3, 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 Christopher Gutierrez & April Boehnen.
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