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"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
February 22, 2018
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Refuge funding continues to decline and it is private philanthropic support that 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 plans.
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Trivia Thursday
True or false: Lesser Scaups mate for life.
Find the answer somewhere in this "Ding" on the Wing!
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Go Wild Breaks Records!
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Conservation Educator Sara Hallas, Refuge Manager Paul Tritaik, education donor Hans Fleischner, DDWS Executive Director Birgie Miller, and education donor Leslie Fleischner
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| John and Elizabeth Simler, already members of the Sprankle Feather Club, won this year's Green Heron Feather Pin with a bid of $5,500. |
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Our annual fundraiser on February 14,
Go Wild for "Ding" - In the Nest, raised $130,000 in ticket sales and auction proceeds. In addition, DDWS received a $25,000 challenge gift from
Hans and Leslie Fleischner to
fund the Refuge Conservation Education staffer for another year. The "bid to give" match auction overshot the challenge, accounting for $40,000 of the $130,000 raised.
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Laurie and Bill Harkey bid $6,500 to win the Sprankle-carved Green Heron Head Slider, which makes them head of the Feather Club for 2019.
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"This is a new record!" said DDWS Executive Director Birgie Miller. "This is testament that our mission is strong. When people learn what we are able to accomplish with their philanthropic support and the good that is happening as a result, they are proud to become a member of the 'Ding' family."
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| Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland and "Teddy Roosevelt" peruse silent auction items. |
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John and Wendy Kindig, Sara Hallas, and "Feather Jim" Sprankle
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Queenie's Ice Cream, and serenading by the Gulf Coast Harmonizers.
A BIG "Ding" Darling thanks to all of the wonderful support from our sponsors and donors:
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2018 Go Wild for "Ding" Sponsors:
CHAMPION
Entire meal donated by:
GUARDIAN
PROTECTOR
DEFENDER
 
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Tomorrow, February 23: Project Puffin Lecture
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Dr. Kress with a puffin chick in Maine
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Dr. Stephen W. Kress, director of National Audubon Society's Seabird Restoration Program, has helped restore populations of some of the world's rarest seabirds -- puffins and terns -- in Maine. On
Friday, February 23, he will be presenting two free programs at
10 a.m. and 1 p.m., part of the
2018 "Ding" Darling Lecture Series at the Refuge. Author of a number of bird-related books, Dr. Kress recently co-authored
Puffin Project: An Improbable Quest to Bring a Beloved Sea Bird Back to Egg Rock. His presentations shed a beam of hope and inspiration onto the dire global outlook of dwindling seabird populations as he shares the success of restoration projects in the Gulf of Maine. Dr. Kress began Project Puffin in 1973 and remains
READ MORE
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Friday, March 2: Nature's Allies Lecture
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Larry Nielsen's book is for sale in the Refuge Nature Store, proceeds from which benefit Refuge wildlife research, conservation, and education programs.
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In
Nature's Allies: Eight Conservationists Who Changed Our World
, author Larry Nielsen uses the stories of conservation pioneers to demonstrate that, through passion and perseverance, we can each be a positive force for change. On Friday, March 2, he will be presenting two free programs at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., part of the
2018 "Ding" Darling Lecture Series
at the Refuge. In the engaging and diverse biographies of John Muir, "Ding" Darling, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, Chico READ MORE
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Sponsor of the 2018 "Ding" Darling Lecture Series
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Lecture Seating Policy
Seating for the lectures is limited and available on a first-come basis. Early arrivals can save one extra seat each with personal items and then may explore the Visitor & Education Center or Indigo Trail before the lecture starts. Saved seats must be filled 15 minutes before lecture time.
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AmeriCorps Team to Repair Calusa Shell Mound Trail
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The AmeriCorps team took a tour of the Refuge led by Sara Hallas, the Refuge Conservation Educator.
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The Calusa Shell Mound Trail Boardwalk will be closed from
Tuesday, February 20, 2018, until further notice.
The Refuge is working with an AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) team for the next few weeks to repair degraded support structures on the boardwalk and to complete other needed projects on the refuge.
"Ding" Darling Maintenance Leader Donald Swingle and Resident Volunteers Bob Gonser and Ken Gum will be overseeing the team.
The Americorps NCCC Team is led by Tyler McNeil from Missouri, and includes Kelzer Sanders - Washington State, Gabrielle Cry - Connecticut, Hayley Kaup - Minnesota, Emily Carey - New Jersy, Kia Ponader - New Jersey, and Ashley Salvador - North Carolina. Huge thank you to this team for helping the Refuge out!
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Wednesday, February 28: Refuge Public Meeting
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Plans for upcoming prescribed burns are on the meeting agenda.
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The J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge will be holding a public meeting about three separate topics inside the "Ding" Darling Visitor & Education Center on
Wednesday, February 28, at 1:00 p.m.
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Planned routine prescribed burns on Sanibel Island.
Plans for prescribed burns on conservation lands will be discussed with fire professionals from the Refuge, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF), the City of Sanibel, and the Sanibel Fire Rescue District.
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Hydrological restoration at the Bailey Tract.
Plans for this project involve partially filling the Ani Pond, reconnecting wetland habitat and other hydrological enhancements for the benefit of endemic, state-threatened Sanibel Island Rice Rat, secretive marsh birds, and other species dependent on spartina marsh habitats.
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Posting of a state-mandated wildlife buffer zone around the rookery islands in Tarpon Bay to protect colonial nesting birds.
The Tarpon Bay Keys are managed through a lease agreement with the State of Florida, which mandates establishment of a buffer around the rookery islands in the middle of the bay. The refuge intends to post the wildlife buffer zone of 25 yards to comply with the terms of this agreement.
For any questions, please contact Refuge Manager Paul Tritaik at 239-472-1100 ext 223.
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March 31 Scholarship Deadline
Application deadline for 14 conservation scholarships starting at $1,000 each, is March 31, 2018. High school seniors and college and graduate students in or from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades counties pursuing degrees in environmental-related studies can apply. This is the 12th year that DDWS will be awarding scholarships. The program began in 2005 with scholarship awards in 2006 from
Tarpon Bay Explorers
, the Refuge's official recreation concessionaire. To date,
DDWS has awarded $97,000
. "Tarpon Bay Explorers started the program by READ MORE
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Lecture Books Are In
As our
lecture series
continues in full swing with terrific authors on the horizon, it's time to come in and claim your book copies so you are ready to have them autographed at the end of upcoming lectures. We also have a small supply of autographed books by previous authors from this
lecture series season.
Stop in and pick up your books today. Or contact Store Manager
Jeanne Walsh
at 239-472-1100 ext. 241 for more information about mail-ordering these and other
featured products.
Remember, members of "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society receive a 10% discount at the Nature Store. Proceeds 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:
9,125 acres in Wells, Maine
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Images courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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Totemic fauna:
Piping Plover, New England Cottontail, Saltmarsh Sparrow
Fun for the Family
: Fishing, shellfishing, wildlife viewing, paddling
Visitor's tips:
During the summer months, interns conduct programs on the Carson Trail at the headquarters in Wells every Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m.
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Saltmarsh Sparrow
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New England Cottontail
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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.
Step Off the Gas
To reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, it pays to think outside of the car whenever possible. Plan ahead to bike, walk, or take public transportation to your destinations. Also, buying local food products reduces the toll that trucking and
shipping take on the environment. Consider electric, hybrid, and other alternative energy vehicles when purchasing your next car. Raking your yard instead of blowing leaves reduces emissions and noise pollution.
Reduce Plastic in Your Life
"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 transitioned to compostable plates, cups, and flatware for event use.
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Click
here to see this week's wildlife sightings
Rebecca Clemens recently spotted a Lesser Scaup along Wildlife Drive. Did you know: Lesser Scaups are generally monogamous while breeding, but choose different mates every breeding season.
The Stokes Tour on February 9th yielded some spectacular photos by participants, including this elegant shot of two White Pelicans swimming along Wildlife Drive by Theresa Anzalone.
Another great shot from the Stokes Tour: a Snowy Egret splashing about in the mangroves.
Thanks to Dale Dombrowski and Beverly Hine for the photo.
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 Philanthropic Coordinator,
Carrie Alexander, for a chance to be featured in upcoming newsletters.
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Volunteer Holiday Luncheon
- December 14, 2018
Volunteer Awards Luncheon
- February 8, 2019
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These are just snapshots of some of the things taking place at your Wildlife Refuge. Please check our website at
www.dingdarlingsociety.org to learn more!
Sincerely,
"Ding" On The Wing composed by Chelle Koster Walton. Designed by Sierra Hoisington and Amanda Brooks
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