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"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
September 27, 2018
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Refuge funding continues to decline; private philanthropic support helps fill in the gaps. Thank you for your support.
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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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National Public Lands Day
The Refuge hosted National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 22, with free admission to Wildlife Drive, discounts at
Tarpon Bay Explorers
and special activities. Here, Refuge volunteer naturalist Joanne Heroy-Giller demonstrates the magic of mangroves during the day's Hidden Treasures of "Ding" Caravan Tour.
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Two interns joined the team effort at "Ding" Darling in September. April Boehnen and Chris Gutierrez will be working fulltime with the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society (DDWS) until June 2019 to support the Refuge.
DDWS provides living stipends and other benefits for about a dozen Refuge and DDWS interns each year. The Refuge supports interns with free housing.
"Our interns bring youthful energy, enthusiasm, and creativity to the Refuge team," said DDWS Executive Director Birgie Miller. "The internship program is just one example of how the nonprofit and Refuge partnership works for the better good of conservation and READ MORE.
To learn about supporting the Refuge intern program, contact Birgie at 239-472-1100 ext. 4
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Red Tide Status by FWC
Click
HERE to see an update for red tide statewide.
The Refuge biology team works in collaboration with the SCCF marine lab in obtaining water samples directly from the Refuge. We will have an update next week on those results.
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Web Cam Back Live
Due to summer storms and lightning, our
Refuge Live Cam at the Wildlife Drive
Observation Tower went out of commission for a few months. Now, with improved
technology, the camera is back up and feeding to a video monitor in the Visitor & Education Center and to our website
. Please visit often to
watch our Refuge birds returning. Note: Feed is only visible
during daylight hours. Our Refuge Live Cam is made possible by donations from the Gardner Families.
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New Art Intern
Visitor services art intern May Jernigan
arrived
recently to help the Refuge with
staffing shortages
this fall, thanks to funding from the
"Ding"
Darling Wildlife Society. May, a 2016 graduate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, holds a bachelor of fine arts degree and is currently earning a graduate certificate for science illustration from California State University Monterey
Bay. Through Thanksgiving, she will be assisting Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland with educational art related to "Ding" Darling Days
READ
MORE
.
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Engage the Kids
 Did you know that the Refuge hands out free, bilingual activity
books for kids at the Visitor &
Education Center Front Desk? Titles include "All about Alligators," "Look Who's Flying!," "Saving Sea Turtles," and others.
You can
also click
here
to print your own activity booklets and learn about other family activities at the Refuge. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society helps make the distribution
of the activity books possible. To support our educational efforts philanthropically please click
here
.
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Boy Scout Badge University
Six badges will be available to earn at Badge University
On November 17, the Refuge and "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society will host their first Merit Badge University for registered Boy Scouts of America. Up to 90 Scouts will have the opportunity to earn up to two out of six badges being offered that day. Cost is $20 for up to two classes, lunch, goodies, snacks, badge workbooks, and materials. Each class is limited to 15 scouts on a first-signup basis.
Only 15 s
paces remain, so register today
at 239-472-1100 ext. 237. Click
HERE
to view the program's flyer.
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Happy Hour Holiday Shopping on Giving Tuesday, November 27
Giving Tuesday, November 27, marks our fifth annual Happy Hour Holiday Shopping event in the Refuge Nature Store, including free refreshments, extended hours, and complimentary gift wrapping. The "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society will keep the store open two extra hours after the Center closes, from 5 to 7 p.m. The Refuge Nature Store has stocked special holiday items for the event, and it will have gift consultants ready with
READ MORE
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School Cartoon Contest
Staff and DDWS board members this week voted
for winners in the annual
 elementary school conservation cartoon contest. Students from Edison Park, Pine Island, Sanibel, and Trafalgar schools participated. Winners will be honored at Conservation Art Day on October 13, part of "Ding" Darling Days. The contest teaches students about saving the environment and the legacy of Jay Norwood Darling, a Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist who often lampooned anti-environmental issues of the early 1900s. |
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Popular Island cartoonist Dave Horton returns to draw personalized wildlife portraits.
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Three-time Federal Duck Stamp winner Bob Hautman will visit from Minnesota to headline the 10th annual free Conservation Art Day at the Refuge on Saturday, October 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Florida Junior Duck Stamp winner Anna Grace Swanson
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| Three-time winner Bob Hautman designed the 2018-2019 Federal Duck Stamp featuring a pair of Mallards. |
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and Federal Junior Duck Stamp winner
Rayen Kang will also be on hand.
"We created Conservation Art Day 10 years
ago to honor the winning artists
with
a
day devoted especially to them," said
Supervisory
Refuge Ranger Toni Westland. "Through the
years, the event has grown to a family-
oriented affair with hands-on activities and
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Sign up upon arrival for the free Make & Take Nature Portrait activity for the first 25 kids.
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demonstrations. This year, we are adding Chalk Art
Drawing in the parking lot, thanks to Cypress Lake High
School."
P
art of the weekend-long "Ding" Darling Days, Oct. 12-14, the event will also feature READ MORE.
Click
here
for a beautiful flyer/poster.
Sincere gratitude goes to partner
Tarpon Bay Explorers
and our 2018 sponsors, who make it possible to offer this educational event free to the public.
ROSEATE SPOONBILL SPONSOR
GREAT EGRET SPONSORS
GREAT BLUE HERON SPONSORS
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| Chicago Midwest Claims, Inc. |
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Travel with 'Ding'
Tag your luggage with Refuge wildlife photography that will make your bags stand out
from all the ot
hers on the carousel. Three designs - American Alligator, Roseate Spoonbills, and White Pelicans - are available as sturdy luggage tags that identify
the three species of Refuge wildlife while identifying your bags. They cost
$3.99 each and make perfect stocking stuffers for the holidays.
Stop in and pick up your luggage tags today. Or contact Store Manager
Ann-Marie
Wildman
at 239-472-1100 ext. 241 for more information about ma
il-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" on the Wing, we showcase one of more than 560 refuges in the U.S.A.
Location:
90,788 acres; La Feria, Texas
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Images courtesy of U.S. Fish Wildlife Service |
Totemic fauna:
Ocelot, Audubon's
Oriole, Long-billed Curlew
Fun for the Family
: Special family events take place throughout the year including the Rio Reforestation Festival in October.
Visitor's tip:
The lower Rio Grande Valley contains a documented 1,200 plants, 300 butterflies, and approximately 700 vertebrates, of which at least 520 are birds.
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| Audubon's Oriole |
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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
Marine Debris
Did you know: Over the last ten years we have
produced more plastic than
during
the whole of the last century? Plastic is the
big culprit in creating a crisis
in
our ocea
ns today. Click
HERE
for more
startling facts and have a look at this chart to realize the long-lasting effects of littering our marine environments.
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
A consistent visitor that can be seen on the Indigo Trail
Common Gallinule foraging for food on the Indigo Trail.
Photo Credit: Chris Gutierrez
A beautiful and photogenic bird, this
Common Gallinule was enjoying a stroll under the Wildlife Education Boardwalk on the Indigo Trail. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society intern Chris Gutierrez spotted it along with other herons and egrets at this popular spot on the Refuge.
T
o see more wildlife photos like this one, 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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Volunteer Holiday Luncheon
- December 14, 2018
Free Winter Programs - January 7-May 5, 2019
Woodring Homestead 100th Anniversary Exhibit Unveiling
- January 23, 2019
Volunteer Awards Luncheon
- February 8, 2019
Go Wild for "Ding" Fundraiser - February 13, 2019
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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 Boehnen and Chris Gutierrez.
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