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Fishing Cart with hitch for sale
Due to the postponement of the 2020 "Ding" Darling & Doc Ford's Tarpon Tournament, we have a
fishing cart with bike hitch available for sale to benefit the Refuge. Value of $318. Will accept best offer. Contact
Sierra Hoisington if you are interested.
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Your Backyard Nature
Whether you live on Sanibel Island or in a completely different environment in faraway places like Michigan or Colorado, we want to see what you're seeing in your habitat while you are staying safe at home.
Thank you to Paula Koval of Carmel, Indiana,
for sharing backyard nature photos of a Baltimore Oriole and Summer Tanager.
Please
email
your nature photos so we can share them in "Ding" on the Wing and by social media. Please include details about the photographer and where the photo was taken.
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A critical component of the support the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society - Friends of the Refuge provides to the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge is to ensure that the wonders of its wildlife and habitat are available for people from all walks of life to enjoy. Our commitment to provide that opportunity to the youth of our area has resulted in several thousand local schoolchildren visiting the Refuge each year, many from Black and Hispanic communities. But this commitment is simply not enough.
Far too many children and adults across our country don't have that same opportunity - the opportunity to explore and appreciate our natural world and its wonders. The unfortunate reality is that many people of color still face a barrier, not only to visit our wild spaces, but in so many other aspects of their daily lives - a barrier rooted in unjust treatment and bigotry.
Recent events in Minneapolis, and echoed in so many other communities across our nation, emphasize that reality.
The conservation movement got its start with those seeking to do what was right during a time of need. At the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society, we are similarly rededicating ourselves to address a here-and-now critical need - the elimination of racism in our country. Today we make a promise - a promise to listen, learn, and act; a promise to do more in making the outdoors accessible to all; and a promise to acknowledge our responsibility. Please join us in standing with Black Americans and other discriminated minorities to reinforce our Society's conviction that their lives truly matter. It's only when all of us live that ethic in what we say, what we do, and how we do it that justice will indeed be served.
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Virtual Summer Camp Now Underway
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Kids can participate in the Nature Explorers Virtual Camp from home and earn prizes. |
the free natural science- and experiential-based learning videos every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10 a.m. on the Refuge's official Facebook page. Exploration Wednesday will include activities like paddleboarding in Tarpon Bay and bike safety. Experimentation Thursday lessons range from making a lava lamp to nature tie-dye. Investigation Friday explores Refuge wildlife, plants, and people. Kids who actively participate three times can earn a prize.
Did you miss Wednesday's lesson? No worries, all videos and activity sheets are archived on the DDWS website.
#DailyDoseofDing
The DDWS staff has been busy bringing the healing sunshine and beauty of the Refuge to the public through 30-second social media videos. Follow on
Facebook
to see our #DailyDoseofDing, brief virtual visits to the Refuge for those who can't make it.
The posts have become a much-anticipated feature, boosting Facebook numbers to more than 14,500 followers.
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The main parking lot at Bailey Tract is now open, along with all of its trails. |
Refuge status has not changed since last week's bulletin. Keep updated on developments via our
COVID-19 web page
or by calling
Tarpon Bay Explorers
about its available activities at 239-472-8900. In the meantime, we urge you to #StayHome as much as possible, get out in nature when you can, and maintain social distance and mask guidelines when you must go out.
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 "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society's 2020-2021 event season is currently underway with plans in full swing. DDWS supports several annual and one-time events. Your support will help the refuge continue its work of conservation and wildlife protection and increase your visibility among your customers and potential customers. For individuals, it's an opportunity to show others the value you place on the work taking place at the Refuge and encourage others to do the same. Event and program sponsors play an essential role in helping the DDWS raise support for conservation work at the Refuge. Click HERE to view sponsorship opportunities.
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 Send Dad a 'Ding'-tastic Gift
this Father's Day
Shop in time for Father's Day and get a little something extra! Today through Thursday, June 18, receive a $10 gift card with any purchase between $75 and $99. Spend $100+ and receive a $20 gift card. We will send your gift card separately, via email or text, once you complete your purchase. It can only be redeemed by shopping
online at ShopDingDarling.com. Include it as an extra treat with Dad's gift or use it on something for yourself anytime - our gift cards never expire. Sending directly to Dad? Write a special message in the notes section of your shopping cart, and we will hand-write one to include with your gift.
Check out our
Just Added section
often to shop all the newest items available.
Exclusive Face masks now Available in Kid & Adult Sizes
 Our lovely new handmade and hand-embroidered Roseate Spoonbill cloth masks are now available in kid and regular adult sizes. Thanks to Barbara Bluedorn for crafting and donating these signature masks to the Refuge Nature Store to support the Society's mission of raising funds to continue Refuge education and conservation programs during these difficult financial times. Find the spoonbill masks exclusively online at ShopDingDarling.com. There are only a limited number available, so be sure to get yours before they're gone!
Questions about purchasing online and shipping to anywhere in the U.S.? Please
email
us as we work remotely from home.
Remember, profits from all Nature Store sales go directly to the Refuge for educational programs and wildlife research.
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ADVOCACY IN ACTION: Expanding the SWOT Analysis
by Sarah Ashton & Jim Metzler, DDWS Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs
In
our last article we presented a formal SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of several efforts intended to improve the quality and quantity of our water resources. This article will present an expanded, but less formal, analysis of some of those efforts.
Acquisition of Conservation Land
In Case You Missed It: Look
HERE for useful insight into watersheds and what you can do to protect them.
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45/82 Society
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Click on image above for an enlargement.
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Ensuring wildlife has a place to thrive in the future is as easy as naming "Ding" Darling in your will or designating the Refuge as a beneficiary to your retirement plan, IRA, or other financial account.
Learn more about our 45/82 Society.
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Beaches Going Wild!
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An SCCF staffer builds protection for a sea turtle nest on Sanibel.
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Beach accesses have reopened to the public on Sanibel Island, and visitors are finding unprecedented wildlife activity. On June 3, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) reported 334 sea turtle nests on Sanibel and Captiva. Among them, SCCF staff and volunteers have marked four rare Leatherback Turtle nests and one Green Turtle nest. More common Loggerhead Turtles dug the rest. We urge beach goers to help protect the sea turtles by filling deep holes in the sand and keeping the beaches dark at night and free of obstacles.
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Shorebirds Conservation Video
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In the shorebird department, SCCF reports seven active Least Tern and four Snowy Plover nests. These nests, too, need your protection. Make sure dogs are leashed and follow the other guidelines in this video produced by the city of Sanibel and supported by the DDWS and other island conservation organizations.
DDWS has built and maintains an exhibit about sea turtles and other beach wildlife at its Perry Tract beachside property at Gulfside City Beach on Sanibel Island. Learn more about the tract and its namesake on this video.
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Support Those Who Support Us
The island business community needs us now, more than ever. Each week, we are highlighting local businesses that have provided support for conservation efforts at the Refuge through the years. They have invested in the community and the Refuge, and we hope the community will do what they can to help them.
In the Garden R.S. Walsh Landscaping
:
Visit the Garden Center at 3889 Sanibel-Captiva Road for your seasonal landscaping needs, or just a serene walk through a lush oasis of growing greenery and flowering plants. Design consultants can help you turn your yard into a welcoming paradise. Now through June, take advantage of its annual plant sale. Call 239-395-5859.
 Bonita Bill's Waterfront Cafe:
Wake up to the calming view of boats in harbor at this Fisherman's Wharf fixture on San Carlos Island. The lunch and dinner menu features local shrimp fresh from the working waterfront across the bay. Catch a cold beer and live music for a genuine taste of Fort Myers Beach. Call 239-463-6119.
 Mabry Brothers, Inc.:
Mabry Brothers of Fort Myers is the leading custom designer, installer, and service provider of complete air conditioning, heating, lighting, and electrical systems for homes and businesses in Southwest Florida. Call 239-482-1122 to inquire about generators as you prepare for the 2020 hurricane season.
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Blast from the Past
As we approach the official
75th Refuge Anniversary
on December 1, 2020, we take a look back,
through historic photographs,
over the past three-quarters of a century that the Refuge has been in existence.
Photo to the left: This photo probably predates the Refuge's creation as Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge in 1945. A rare photo of
Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling's
years spent on the islands in the mid-1930s, it shows him fishing with his favorite island guide, Belton Johnson.
Darling's love of fishing and hunting was the foundation of his strong conservation ethic, which resulted in the
Federal Duck Stamp program
and the National Wildlife Federation, as well as the Refuge that today bears his name.
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Summer Fertilizing: Just Say No
As summer rains begin to pour, homeowners on Sanibel Island and throughout Lee County can do their part to reduce algae bloom and other water woes by curbing their fertilizer use. It's not only good stewardship, it's the law.
Sanibel ordinance Article VI, Section 30-144 states: "No applicator shall apply fertilizers containing nitrogen and/or phosphorus to turf and/or landscape plants during the 'rainy season' (defined as July 1 through September 30 of each calendar year)."
Lee County's ordinance states: "Fertilizers containing Nitrogen (N) and/or Phosphorus (P) may not be applied on turf and/or landscape plants from June 1 through September 30."
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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. that is open to the public.
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The Key Deer fawn adjusts to its new habitat. Photo courtesy of Santa Fe College. |
This week, instead, we shine the spotlight on a
wildlife success story right here in Florida at the
National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key. Refuge officials there received calls about an abandoned Key Deer fawn, believed to be three to four days old. Key Deer are the smallest subspecies of the North American White-tailed Deer, but at 5.5 pounds and with uncertainty about its resistance to antibodies usually provided by a mother's feeding, the orphaned fawn required medical attention. In cooperation with the Santa Fe College's teaching zoo in Gainesville, Florida, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service flew the fawn to its new home in northern Florida. On May 20, zoo officials announced that the fawn's weight had increased to 6.6 pounds and that the patient is strong and doing well.
Read more about the inspiring tale of successful partnerships and rescued wildlife.
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Click
HERE to see this week's wildlife sightings.
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| Photo credit: John Dembeck |
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If you think you're having a bad hair day, just remember Yellow-crowned Night Heron chicks can relate. They will roost with the adults until the end of the breeding season, after which they disperse to unknown destinations until they have acquired their adult plumage two to three years later. It remains a mystery what happens during that time. We hypothesize they're avoiding being seen during the "bad hair years."
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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75th Anniversary Island "Spoonie" Island Scavenger Hunt Kick-off
- TBD
75th Anniversary "Ding:" The Man, The Art, The Stories Exhibition Opening
- October TBD
75th Anniversary Proclamation at City Hall - November 3, 2020
Official 75th
Anniversary Celebration
- December 1, 2020
Clyde Butcher Book Signing - December TBD
National Bird Day - January 5, 2021
Friday Lecture Series - Select Fridays January 29-March 19, 2021
Volunteer Training
- January 14, 2021
2021 Annual Fundraiser - February 10, 2021
Niki Butcher Photographic Exhibition - November 2021
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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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