November 18, 2021

Urgent Request continues for Matching Donations Toward 8.5-acre Land Acquisition

Because of steeply rising property values and costs, DDWS is faced with an end-of-January deadline to raise a final $550,000 on an 8.5-acre Sanibel Island land acquisition it has been working toward for several years. Thanks to island residents Don and Joan Sherman, every dollar donated now will be matched.

Adjacent to current Refuge property, the land in question holds a six-acre lake that directly feeds into fragile Tarpon Bay. Its preservation not only means protecting vital wildlife habitat, but also buffering Refuge water quality against the catastrophic red tide and blue-green algae events it has experienced in the past.

Some of the documented listed species on this property include Gopher Tortoise, Little Blue Heron, and Mangrove Cuckoo. In addition, Small-toothed Sawfish, juvenile Tarpon, baby sea turtles, and West Indian Manatees use the lake, along with Bobcats and migratory birds.

“We were very close to purchasing this highly desired island property, and then the pandemic happened, driving real estate READ MORE

TONIGHT: After-Hours Shopping

Tonight, November 18, the “Ding” Darling Nature Store at 2250 Periwinkle Way hosts its annual After-Hours Holiday Shopping from 4 to 7 p.m. Stop in for refreshments, giveaways, some great deals on holiday buying, free gift-wrapping, and a whole lot of holiday cheer.

The store will debut the 2022 collectible Luc Century Holiday Ornament for general sale tonight. The new, limited-edition ornament for DDWS’ 40th showcases the Society’s logo bird, the Anhinga. This year for the first time, the ornament, annually etched by Sanibel artist Luc Century, will be oval in shape rather than the traditional circular glass ornament.

Remember, profits from all Nature Store sales go directly to the Refuge for educational programs, wildlife research, and overall conservation efforts.

Welcome New Resident Volunteers

The Refuge Resident Volunteer Program puts volunteers to work in exchange for an RV parking spot and utilities. This year’s team just picked up two new members for the winter season. Tony and Lisa Kirby arrived late October from Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, where they worked the summer. Originally from Michigan, the Kirby family later moved to Florida for three years before Tony and Lisa began full-time volunteering about five years ago.

“We have volunteered at several national wildlife refuges and a couple state parks,” said Lisa. “Our favorite is Okefenokee NWR in southeast Georgia.”

Favorite so far! “We visited Ding years ago and enjoyed it so much.,” she added. “Once we became resident volunteers, it was high on our list of places to go.”

In their former lives, Lisa, who is helping out the Refuge in visitor services, was a site coordinator at a K-4 school, and Tony, who works in maintenance, served as an air traffic controller at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.

Thankful for Tice

This school year, the Refuge and DDWS have been sending Tice Elementary, a Fort Myers Title 1 school, along with the Tice community some extra love. In keeping with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s new initiative for urban outreach, “Ding” has established a relationship of conservationism and humanitarianism with the community, culminating in this week’s Patti’s Spoonful of Love Turkey Drive. On November 16, “Ding” delivered 500 bags of Thanksgiving dinner fixings, including a $25 gift card for a turkey. The drive was named in memory of the mother of Tice Elementary Assistant Principal Katie Reimenschneider, a former educator at The Sanibel School.

The program started with the school year, when a specified contributions from DDWS donors made it possible to buy school supplies for the entire student body. This month, the WoW mobile classroom visited the elementary school to teach kids who are unable to visit the Refuge about wildlife and conservationism. On November 16, when the Refuge and DDWS delivered Thanksgiving bags to the families, parents had the opportunity to tour WoW with their children and learn nature lessons from them.

“The urban outreach mission gives us a rich opportunity to embrace an urban community beyond just teaching conservation,” said Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland, who leads the Tice program along with Urban Education Leader Melissa Maher. “It has been so meaningful building relationships with the kids and community and building the trust to open their eyes to learning and conservation.”

Saturday, November 20: Art of Conservation

On Saturday, November 20, Art of Conservation features visits and signings by three local artists at Nature Store2, 2250 Periwinkle Way on Sanibel Island. This year’s artist in residence, nature painter Rachel Pierce, will be on hand from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The store will be debuting holiday cards designed by Rachel that day. In the afternoon, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., famed nature photographer Clyde Butcher and his photographer-artist wife, Niki Butcher, will be making personal meet-and-greet appearances.

Tuesday, November 23: Holiday Shopping at the Refuge

The Refuge Nature Store flagship shop in the Visitor & Education Center at the Refuge hosts its annual Holiday Shopping event daylong on November 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stop in for giveaways, great deals on holiday buying, free gift-wrapping, and holiday cheer.

Visitor Center Desk & Nature Store Open Daily

Temporarily closed on Sundays due to COVID-19 staffing issues, the Front Desk and Refuge Nature Store in the “Ding” Darling Visitor & Education Center are back open on a daily schedule. Exhibits remain closed until further notice. Visit our flagship store and get information about the Refuge daily 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WoW at the Refuge for Thanksgiving

Bring the family to “Ding” Darling during Thanksgiving week to tour for free the WoW mobile interactive nature experience in the parking lot of the Visitor & Education Center. Stop in for a little shopping at the Refuge Nature Store while you’re here, and skip the big, crazy busy malls on the day before Thanksgiving and Black Friday. WoW will be open:

Wednesday, November 24, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Friday, November 26, 9 a.m-12 p.m.

See FLYER.

December 4: Wild Daze Ale Rollout

As part of its 40th anniversary celebration, DDWS rolls out its exclusive, limited-edition Wild Daze Ale on December 4, with island events to follow throughout the month. The launch event starts at 4 p.m. at Fort Myers Brewing Co. in Fort Myers. Exterior exhibits from the Refuge WoW mobile interactive experience will be onsite for the occasion, along with food trucks, music, trivia games, and other special goings-on.

Visit our Wild Daze Ale page for news of Sanibel Island rollout events during December.

Mindfulness Walks at Bailey Tract

Join us for a peaceful morning of walking meditation at the Bailey Tract starting at 8:30 a.m. on the dates listed below. Together we will explore the concept of mindfulness, consider the various physical and mental benefits of time spent in nature, and take a mindful hike around Ani Marsh. Participation is limited for this free event, so please pre-register.

Upcoming Mindfulness Walks

Saturday, November 20
Wednesday, November 24
Friday, November 26

Peeps of 'Ding' Snapshot

Last week, “Ding” representatives attended the annual meeting of the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau’s (VCB) at Marriott Sanibel Harbour Resort across the causeway from Sanibel, where travel celebrity Samantha Brown was the keynote speaker. Pictured: DDWS Nature Store Manager Ann-Marie Wildman, DDWS Media Liaison Chelle Walton, and Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland, who starred in a special video the VCB filmed and aired that morning.

Lecture Sponsorships

Thanks to all of our sponsors who have signed up to support our 2022 Lecture Series – listed below.

Sponsorships remain for two lectures, available for $1,000 to $5,000 per lecture:

February 11 – Author Holly Merker, Ornitherapy for Your Mind, Body, Soul
March 18 – Author Jack Davis, The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America's Bird

Please contact April Boehnen at 239-472-1100 ext. 4 for more information about becoming a lecture sponsor. Benefits include deep brand exposure, an opportunity to enjoy a complimentary lunch with the speaker for up to four guests, and reserved seating at the first-come lecture.

"Ding" Darling Theodore Cross High School Photo Contest

The ninth annual “Ding” Darling-Theodore Cross High School Photography Contest has kicked off with a deadline of February 15, 2022. It invites high school students in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades, and Hendry counties to compete for prizes that include a Canon digital SLR camera package, special photography opportunities to be announced, and copies of Waterbirds: Portraits and Anecdotes from Birding Adventures by contest namesake, the late Theodore Cross.

Cross, who lived part-time on Sanibel Island, marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; advised the READ MORE

Melinda Garvey from Lehigh Senior High took second place in 2021 with “The Lifespan of Green Fungus.”

2022 Refuge Wishlist

Wondering what to get your favorite wildlife refuge for the holidays and year-end giving? We’ve got just the list with a few unique ideas for designated giving. Membership donations and annual gifts are essential for the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society to continue its support of Refuge conservation and education efforts at the Refuge. To learn more, contact Sierra Hoisington at 239-472-1100 ext. 4. Or simply donate online and earmark your donation by naming your wish-list gift in the comments.

Find Us on TikTok

Get educated and entertained with Refuge videos on our new TikTok page @dingdarlingsociety. Find a range of posts from who “Ding” Darling is and a dancing Blue Goose to what’s hot in the Refuge Nature Store. Thanks to interns Christina Hester and Hayley Caylor for their creative contributions.

Where Are They Now?

Former bilingual WoW intern Alfredo Carbajal made a huge impact on Refuge urban outreach during his tenure last school year. He continues his work in and love for that field as the new Urban Ranger at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado, where he started earlier this month. We’re so proud of him!

“I will be working with a team of bilingual rangers and interns in helping to create ways of connecting with underserved communities and providing bilingual interpretations to make the refuge a more inclusive public space,” he writes. “It is quite similar to the projects I participated in while working at “Ding” Darling with WoW. We created programs and worksheets in both English and Spanish, we made headways in reaching out to underserved communities and doing our best to bring the Refuge to the public and inspire curiosity to the people on the outdoors and all the complexities of its systems and wildlife. So here at the RMA Refuge, I will be doing my best to utilize that experience and bring the refuge to a wider audience.”

Refuge Spotlight - 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. This week we welcome our new Resident Volunteers, Lisa and Tony Kirby, by sharing information about the refuge they worked before coming to “Ding” last month.

Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge

Location: 51,000 acres; Springville, Tennessee

Totemic fauna: Barred Owl, Canada Goose, Wood Duck

Visitor tips: Blue Goose Boulevard Interpretive Drive is open March 16 through November 14. The 3-mile drive allows visitors to view wildlife with interpretive signs.

Image courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

GOING GREEN

Leftover Containers for Holiday Leftovers

Year-long, wash and save sour cream, cottage cheese, lunch meat, dip, takeout, and other plastic containers. Whether you are cooking Thanksgiving dinner or are a guest, having the containers to take home leftover turkey and dressing is a considerate gesture. It’s even more considerate – to Mother Earth – when you are repurposing single-use vessels.

Photo by France Paulsen

Wildlife Sightings & Tides

Visitors have been spotting Bald Eagles around the Refuge. Bald Eagles hunt by stealing the prey of other large birds, so if you see an Osprey with a fresh catch, keep an eye out for Bald Eagles swooping in to steal the fish.

Click HERE to see this week's wildlife sightings.

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.