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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.
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Whether you live on Sanibel Island or in a completely different environment in faraway places like Ontario or Kansas, we want to see what you're seeing in your habitat while you are staying safe at home.
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| | Thank you to Bob Patetta from Ohio for this image of a Yellow-rumped Warbler in his backyard. |
Please email your nature photos so we can share them in "Ding" on the Wing and by social media. Include details about the photographer and where the photo was taken.
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Wish List 2020
 As you make plans for year-end giving to DDWS, consider this season's Wish List of items. You can donate online and note which Wish List item you would like your funds to be applied to. Or call 239-472-1100 ext. 4 and talk to one of the DDWS development staff to make your year-end donation by phone. Now's the time to contribute and be eligible for tax deductions for 2020. |
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Welcome New Urban Education Leader
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|  | Melissa Maher heads up the WoW team of mobile educators.
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Melissa Maher accepted the position of Urban Education Leader at the Refuge last week. The position, funded by the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society (DDWS), was created to oversee the Refuge's education outreach, including Wildlife on Wheels (WoW) mobile classroom, which deploys next month to schools and venues in underserved communities throughout a five-county region.
Melissa comes to the Refuge from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, with more than 20 years of experience in development and oversight of student-focused strategies and programs. Within the past 15 years, she has held positions as teacher, school program manager, and district career coordinator.
At "Ding" Darling, Melissa will lead a team of two bilingual Spanish interpreters, interns, and volunteers to schedule visits with the mobile classroom and facilitate curriculum to benefit teachers and meet Florida education READ MORE
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Nature Store2 To Open
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| | Nature Store2 will carry old favorites and new surprises. |
With the reopening date of the "Ding" Darling Visitor & Education Center still uncertain, DDWS has decided to launch a second Refuge Nature Store off-campus on Sanibel Island. The opening of Nature Store2 is slated for mid-November at 2250 Periwinkle Way in Sanibel Square. (Save the date November 20 for our grand opening!)
"Because the Visitor & Education Center has been closed since March, we have suffered significant financial losses with our flagship store shuttered," said DDWS Executive Director Birgie Miller. "All profits from that store support the Refuge, so, consequently, wildlife and research projects could suffer with continued, prolonged lack of income. On average, more than 200 visitors entered the store each day when the Center was open. Besides store earnings, the closure has negatively impacted donations that READ MORE
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"The Shining Snail Shell" by Mouna Benmerabet from Fort Myers High won second
place in the 2020 contest.
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"Ding" Darling Theodore Cross High School Photo Contest
The eighth annual "Ding" Darling-Theodore Cross High School Photography Contest has kicked off with a deadline of January 15, 2021. 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, chartered class trips to the Refuge, and copies of Waterbirds: Portraits and Anecdotes from Birding Adventures by contest namesake, the late Theodore Cross.
Guidelines and prize information are posted online. Call DDWS at 239-472-1100 ext. 4 for READ MORE
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Get Ready. Get Set. Drive-In.
Registration for the 75th Anniversary Gala will
open November 1. Tickets for this memorable and unique event are $150 per person where all proceeds go to support the conservation work at the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
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Halloween BOGO sale! See below
Remember, profits from all Nature Store sales go directly to the Refuge for educational programs, wildlife research, and overall conservation efforts.
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 This week we welcome the late Willow the Whippet at the Guardian Sponsor level. A longtime lover of bunny watching, running on the beach, and road trips, Willow was a joyous and frequent visitor of the Refuge. Willow's family honors her through this generous sponsorship.
Here is the complete list of sponsors to date; MANY thanks to one and all:
Champion Level Sponsors
Guardian Level Sponsors
Protector Level Sponsors
Defender Level Sponsors
To join in the memory-making by becoming a sponsor, contact Development Officer April Boehnen at 239-472-1100 ext. 4.
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 75th Anniversary Exhibit at Sanibel Library
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The exhibit will feature artifacts never before on display.
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To spread its message about Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling's creation, 75 years ago, of the Refuge now named for him, the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge and "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society (DDWS) are partnering with the Sanibel Public Library on 75th Anniversary Exhibits this fall.
 "Ding" the Sportsman, Conservationist, and Artist will feature artifacts from Darling's life that have never before been publicly displayed, along with an exhibit of his editorial cartoons, which were syndicated throughout the U.S. for 50 years. Other works by the artist, memorabilia from his time spent on Sanibel and Captiva starting in the mid-1930s, and historical READ MORE
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  Guest Blog: Harmful Algal Blooms Captiva resident Suri Sehgal, PhD, is an India-born American philanthropist with a long career as a crop scientist, seedsman, entrepreneur, and leading expert in the global hybrid seed industry. He is a member of the Captiva Sea Level Rise Committee and chairs the Environmental Awareness Committee of the Captiva Island Yacht Club. This week, he shares a guest blog about harmful algal blooms, below:
At this time of the year, south Florida is often threatened with either blue-green algae or red algae blooms or both, collectively known as harmful algal bloom (HAB). We have been spared the wrath of both so far this year.
Although they are lumped together under HAB, the two are not technically algae. The blue-green organism is a single-cell bacterium called cyanobacteria, whereas the red tide organism is a single-cell dinoflagellate called READ MORE
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Lecture Series Sponsors 
February 4 - Photographers Clyde and Niki Butcher, The Everglades, sponsored by Wayne and Linda Boyd March 12 - Author Paul Bannick, "Great Gray Owl: A Visual Natural History," sponsored by Bill & Laura Harkey March 19 - Author Kirk W. Johnson, Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century, sponsored by Ashton Kirchner Group/Keller Williams Realty Sanibel & Captiva, HighTower/Thomas & Swartz Wealth Management, William & Barbara Millar, Geoffrey & Karen Moss, and Sanibel Carts |
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Blast from the Past
December 1, 2020, we take a look back, through historic photographs, at the past three-quarters of a century.
On August 29, 2016, "Ding" Darling devoted the entire day to sea turtles as it unveiled its new hands-on exhibit to educate and raise awareness about the plight of the different endangered species. The unveiling crew consisted of Jason McBride, representing West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND), which provided a grant for the exhibit; former Refuge Manager Paul Tritaik; former Deputy Refuge Manager Joyce Palmer; and Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland.
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Gopher Tortoise Conservation
Help the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) with its citizen science-based Gopher Tortoise conservation efforts. A new, user-friendly, web-based application is designed to function on any device. We encourage Florida residents who see a Gopher Tortoise to participate in the reporting program and contribute to the State Gopher Tortoise Database.
To further protect our state's Gopher Tortoises and their habitat, take these steps, as prescribed by the city of Sanibel:
*Plant native vegetation for Gopher Tortoises to feed on.
*Maintain open areas in your yard by trimming back woody vegetation that can "shade out" Gopher Tortoise burrows.
*Leave existing Gopher Tortoise burrows undisturbed: Avoid mowing, driving, or other activities that could cause disturbance directly around a tortoise burrow.
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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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| | Images courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
Location: 24,802 acres; Walden, Colorado
Totemic Fauna: Shiras' Moose, Mountain Bluebird, Prairie Dog
Visitor's Tip: A visitor center, an auto tour route, a nature trail, overlooks, and a viewing blind enhance visitor enjoyment of the refuge. Snow and mud determine how quickly the roads are re-opened. Call ahead to check on conditions.
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| | | Photo by Rebecca Clemens | |
Click HERE to see this week's wildlife sightings.
Black-crowned Night Herons have recently been spotted at the Refuge!
Did you know that Black-crowned Night Herons are most active at night or at dusk?
To 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 Proclamation at City Hall - November 3, 2020
Holiday Shopping Events - November-December 2020
National Bird Day - January 5, 2021
Volunteer Training - January 14, 2021
Clyde Butcher Book Signing - February TBA
2021 Annual Go Wild for "Ding" - February 10, 2021
Earth Day at the Refuge - April 22, 2021
Artist-in-Residence Exhibition - October-Mid-November 2021
Niki Butcher Photographic Exhibition - Mid-November-December 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 interns Cait Nalley and Hollis Hatfield
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