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"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
June 14, 2018
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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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Refuge funding continues to decline; private philanthropic support helps fill in the gaps. Thank you for your support.
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ADVOCACY IN MOTION
We need your help in having your voice heard to help protect our Refuge and islands from harmful discharges.
by Sarah Ashton and Jim Metzler, DDWS Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs
As a result of recent rains, massive discharges have come down the
Caloosahatchee River from Lake Okeechobee. This picture above, taken June 3, shows that the discharged water has reached Sanibel.
Unfortunately, the water is also permeating the Refuge.
Plans are in place that have the potential, over the next decade, to eradicate most, if not all, of these discharges. However, the discharges are currently having a negative impact on the health of the Refuge and its fish and wildlife.
Immediate corrective action is needed.
A number of organizations can help eliminate or significantly mitigate these discharges and we need your help asking for their support.
Please click HERE to ask the Army Corps of Engineers,
the South Florida Water Management District,
Governor Scott and Secretary Bartlett to take immediate action. The link will take you to a series of letters connected to their email addresses.
Even if you don't own a home on Sanibel, but visit and love the Refuge and Islands, we ask that you write them and edit the sample letter accordingly.
Thank you for spending what shouldn't take more than 5 minutes of your time. Your voice does make a difference and the more people who make the effort to express concern, the more impact it will make.
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Just some of our 2018 "Ding" Darling Scholars
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Scholarship Awards
At a special after-hours gathering at the Refuge on Wednesday, June 13, "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society awarded $19,700 in conservation education scholarships to 15 students from the contiguous five-county area. During its 12-year history, the DDWS Environmental Scholarship Program has awarded a total of $116,700.
"The Society is committed to educating today's youth as conservation stewards of the future," said DDWS Education Chair Wendy Kindig. "We work with businesses and individuals to provide annual scholarships to award to outstanding students READ MORE
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World
Oceans Day Heightens Awareness
More than 20 people gathered on the beach at Perry Tract on Friday, June 8, for a Beach Walk and Cleanup to celebrate Worlds Ocean Day. The Refuge also
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Conservation Educator Sara Hallas helps a Beach Walk participant identify a shell on World Oceans Day.
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hosted nature crafts, a book-signing, and an Anti-
Plastic Film Festival to honor the day. Concessioners
Tarpon Bay Explorers
offered sea cruise discounts.
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New Summer Education Intern
Education intern Emily Schwartz arrived on June 5 to help the Refuge with staffing shortages this summer, thanks to funding from DDWS. Emily, a rising sophomore at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, is an environmental studies major exploring a minor in fields such as political science, geology, and psychology.
"I have been coming to Sanibel since I was little and I have always admired the sense of community," said the Fort Myers native. "This island cares about the environment and takes real steps to conserve it for decades to come."
Her first week on the job, Emily helped set up World Oceans Day at the Refuge on June 8. She will be assisting Conservation Educator Sara Hallas and Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland with visiting summer camp groups and visitor services.
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I absolutely love the atmosphere that the Refuge has," said Emily. "People who come to 'Ding' have an interest in learning, and that is crucial for the future of our environment. And the people I work with are amazing. They make this opportunity better than I could have imagined and welcomed me into their world. I have already learned so much."
DDWS provides living stipends and other benefits for about a dozen interns each year. The Refuge supports interns and resident volunteers with free housing.
For more information about the Refuge's internship programs, contact
Toni Westland at 239-472-1100 ext. 237. To learn about supporting the Refuge Intern Program, contact
Sarah Lathrop, DDWS Associate Director, at 239-472-1100 ext. 4.
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Thanks to Ken Yacavone, pictured here with Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland, for the donation of two pieces of bird art. The one on the right, a wooden gull form filled with plastic found on the beach, will be used by Refuge staff for educational purposes. The shorebird on the left will be auctioned at a future date. Ken, who began carving birds in Ohio in the late 1980s, has moved to Cape Coral. "Taking a rough piece of wood and transforming it into something beautiful has always been magical for me," he said.
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Free Summer Programs Under Way
Wildlife Wonders talks, weekly walks, and nature crafts highlight the free summer programs calendar being offered at the Refuge through August 6, 2018. Summer programming is made possible by support from the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society READ MORE
Click
here
for a summer programs flyer.
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Bailey Tract Restoration Underway
The Refuge has closed the Bailey Tract for four to six weeks due to a planned hydrologic restoration project, in partnership with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). To avoid public safety concerns, the Bailey Tract will remain closed to all public access for the duration of the restoration project. In response to public input received by the Refuge, parts of the planned restoration have been modified to leave a part of Ani Pond open and keep READ MORE
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Dane and D'nae Mosse from Miramar, Florida, pose with their two children, who earned their Junior Refuge Manager badges
recently at the Refuge. Visitors of all ages enjoy the challenge of learning more about the Refuge through the scavenger hunt activity, available for free from the front desk in the Visitor & Education Center.
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The Sanibel School reports positive results from its "Sanibel School Recycling Team" project, funded by a 2017 Teachers Conservation Grant from the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society. By teaching other classes about proper recycling, the fifth-graders were able to reduce the amount of non-recyclable materials they were finding in class recycling bins.
In the past 12 years, DDWS has awarded more than $75,000 in teacher grants. The grants are funded by monies received from the DDWS Conservation Education Endowment Fund earmarked specifically for education by the late Kip Koss, grandson of Jay N. "Ding" Darling.
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Tarpon Tourney Makes the News Once More
DDWS raised $120,000 in this years' tournament to benefit the conservation work at the Refuge. Support came from tournament sponsorships, silent auction and donations. To date, $450,000 has been raised since the tournament began seven years ago. Click HERE to read more about the tournament and our generous sponsors.
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Eco-Friendly Wraps
Pay homage to Pollinators Week, June 18-24, by supporting a healthy environment with Bee's Wrap products, now available in the Nature Store. Protect our oceans and communities by swapping out plastic wraps and baggies with these reusable, washable, compostable food wraps coated with beeswax. They come in various sizes and in assortment packs.
Stop in and pick up your Bee's Wraps today.
Or contact Store Manager
Jeanne Walsh
at 239-472-1100 ext. 241 for more information about mail-ordering these and other
featured products
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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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Photography Exhibit
Isabelle Laflamme is a photographer and graphic designer from Montreal whose photography exhibit will be on display in the Visitor & Education Center auditorium until June 30th. She is a long time visitor of Southwest Florida. She grew a passion for bird photography after seeing the lush nature of the area, especially on Sanibel Island and in the trails of the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Refuge. Through the lens of her camera, she has established close relationships with the birds she observes. Each of those creatures of beauty is, for her, a unique being, with its own will and existence, and this is what she tries to convey in her pictures. Isabelle is also a travel writer, who has published stories and photos in many Canadian publications.
Visit the free Visitor & Education Center, open 7 days per week from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., before June 30th to view Isabelle's photographs.
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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.
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Images courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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Location:
315,000 acres; Cold Bay, Alaska
Totemic fauna: Black Brant, Brown Bear, Caribou
Fun for the Family
:
Typical activities include hunting, fishing, photography, and wildlife viewing.
Visitor's tip:
Cold Bay is only accessible by air or water. Leave an itinerary with family/friends and pack your gear with emergency supplies for changing weather conditions.
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| Black Brant |
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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.
Monofilament Kills
Monofilament fishing line is just one more type of plastic that is killing our wildlife. Please make every effort to dispose of monofilament responsibly and remove it
from trees and bushes when it becomes tangled in branches. Click HERE to learn more.
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
The Wildlife Education Boardwalk is still very active with wildlife sightings. Whether it's nest building or soon-to-be fledged chicks, there's never a dull summer day.
A
Tricolored Heron
holds a stick in its beak as it attempts to build its nest for the season.
Thanks to our Media Liaison, Chelle Walton,
A growing
Anhinga
chick sits proudly outside of the nest after it successfully branched out from its home.
Thanks to our Media Liaison, Chelle Walton,
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
Sierra Hoisington for a chance to be featured in upcoming newsletters.
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DDWS Annual Meeting
- December 5, 2018
Volunteer Holiday Luncheon
- December 14, 2018
2019 Friday Lecture Series
- January 25-April 19, 2019
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 to learn more!
Sincerely,
"Ding" On The Wing composed by Chelle Koster Walton. Designed by Sierra Hoisington.
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