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WoW Challenge Grant
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WoW's hands-on activities will engage kids who can't make it to the Refuge.
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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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Duck in for these Newcomers
One-of-a-kind hand-carved ducks have just settled in at The Nature Store, all the way from Colorado. These stunning creations began their journey over a hundred years ago as a cedar fence post in the fields and ranches across the early American West. Besides recapturing a piece of history, each sculpture represents an original work of art. Artist Tim Bergren personally selects reclaimed fence posts and signs each piece. Limited quantities are available; get your favorite piece today before it flies away.
Stop in today to pick up your Rustic Duck.
Or contact Nature Store Manager
Ann-Marie Wildman
at 239-472-1100 ext. 241 for information on mail-ordering store products.
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October 13: Fee-Free Day on Wildlife Drive
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Bike, hike, or drive Wildlife Drive for free this Sunday.
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To herald the kick-off of National Wildlife Refuge Week, the U.S. Department of Interior has declared Sunday, October 13, admission free on Wildlife Drive. The Drive is open free-of-charge to all vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. that day.
Upcoming fee-free days in 2019:
Sunday, October 13: National Wildlife Refuge Week
Sunday, October 20: "Ding" Darling Day
Monday, November 11: Veterans Day
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Fall Newsletter
The "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society quarterly newsletter mailed to members earlier this month. If you missed it, click
HERE
to read it online and keep abreast of happenings past and future.
Memberships to the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society make all the difference in providing support for land acquisition; restoration; research, education and overall conservatio work at the Refuge.
To become a member of DDWS, please click HERE
.
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October 12: Christmas in October
The Refuge Nature Store will be participating in this 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 and services for the holidays. Click
HERE
for tickets and more info.
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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.
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Wildlife presentations make visitors go wild at "Ding" Day.
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Guided tours and a 9 a.m. Girl Scouts flag-raising start the day. The Refuge will be handing out free reusable shopping bags made from recycled water bottles to the first 200 guests as it celebrates the birthday 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.
See Sponsors below.
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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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October 31: Teacher Grants Deadline
DDWS and the Refuge have announced their 14th annual round of
Teacher Conservation Grants
. Up to $10,000 in grant awards are available to districts, schools, and individual teachers in Lee, Charlotte, and Collier counties this school year for conservation education-related projects. Teachers may apply for grants up to $1,000 each to fund new classroom science projects, promote
READ MORE
In the past 12 years, DDWS has granted more than $80,300 to local schools for environmental projects. The grants are funded by monies received from the DDWS Conservation Education Endowment Fund established by Jay "Ding" Darling's grandson, the late Kip Koss. To make a tax-deductible donation in support of the fund, contact DDWS Executive Director Birgie Miller at 239-472-1100 ext. 4 or click
HERE
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December 3: Holiday Shopping Night
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| Nature Store staff will unveil the Luc Century ornament for 2020 and the Refuge's 75th Anniversary Celebration that night. |
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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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75th Anniversary Sponsorship Opportunities
As excitement builds for the "Ding" Darling
75th Anniversary Celebration, so too does the demand for support for a
calendar-full of special events. We count on sponsorships to support the Refuge by bringing event attendees here to educate and enrich them with a love of nature. Click
HERE to learn about the different upcoming sponsorship opportunities and find one that fits your interests and passion. All sponsorship donations are tax-deductible. For more information, contact
Dot Voorhees at 239-472-1100 ext. 239.
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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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Hooded Oriole
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Location:
117,464 acres in Sasabe, Arizona
Totemic Fauna: Masked Bobwhite Quail, Hooded Oriole
Visitor's Tips: The Brown Canyon Education Center provides opportunities for learning about the ecology of the region. Other activities include guided hikes, primitive camping, and horseback riding.
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Images courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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Masked Bobwhite Quail
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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.
Save a Tree When You Wipe 
Did you know that more than 94,000 trees get chopped down every day to make paper towel, toilet paper, and tissues? A company named
Seedling
has found a solution: bamboo and sugarcane. Seedling's tree-free products are soft and forest-friendly.
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: Chris Gutierrez |
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Ruddy Turnstones can get pretty tired. They
breed in the Arctic tundra but spend off seasons on shorelines and sandy beaches on the East and West coasts of North America.
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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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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