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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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The season of giving is upon us. Nationwide, more than 40% of all individual charitable donations are made in December by people wanting to make a difference. It is also an opportunity, through giving, to generate income tax deductions that may help reduce your tax bill for 2020. Your Year-End Gift to "Ding" Darling supports wildlife, education, and research. Make yourtax-deductible donation today! |
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Admission fees on Wildlife Drive will be waived today.
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Today, November 5: FREE Wildlife Drive Admission
Happy Veteran's Day and thank you to all of our readers and friends who served our country in active duty. We welcome you and the public to enjoy a fee-free day today on Wildlife Drive. Take advantage of the holiday and cool weather to drive, bike, or walk the drive - open between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. today.
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Whether you live on Sanibel Island or in a completely different environment in faraway places like Utah or Maryland, 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 Renny Challoner from Sanibel Island for sharing this image of a bobcat in his backyard.
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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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These gifts were made to DDWS in honor of and in memory of friends and families during October 2020. Thank you to everyone who supported the Refuge in this thoughtful and meaningful way. Make a memorial or honor donation HERE.
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75th Anniversary Gala Tickets
Now on Sale. Limited # remaining
Register now for the 75th Refuge Anniversary Gala on the evening of Tuesday, December 1, at the parking lot across the street from The Community House on Sanibel Island. The classic 1940s drive-in theater affair will include live music, a program projected onto a large screen with audio broadcasted on car radios, and "car hops" safely delivering dinner and drinks while wearing masks. Space is limited to 70 cars, so reserve your space today. (The re is no limit to how many people can occupy each vehicle.) $150 per person. Only 12 car spots remain.
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Artist in Residence 2021
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| | | The art of Rachel Pierce reflects her love for the sea and nature. | |
program in 2019 as part of its 75th Anniversary Celebration, with hopes to continue it each year. Whereas COVID got in the way of those plans in 2020, the Refuge, with support from DDWS, is moving forward with hosting Fort Myers artist Rachel Pierce for a 2021 program.
Most well-recognized from her role as former NBC2 morning anchor for five years, Rachel recently retired from TV journalism to devote more time to her passion for art and to her husband and four children. A lifelong artist, she studied art in college, but eventually READ MORE
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Nature Store2 Grand Opening
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| | Nature Store2 will carry old favorites and new surprises. |
Mark your calendar for Friday, November 20, when we celebrate the Grand Opening of Nature Store2 at 2250 Periwinkle Way. The new store will be offering special deals all weekend, so stay tuned for more news.
While our flagship Refuge Nature Store remains unable to open because it resides within a federal building that the government has mandated for closure, Nature Store2 will provide a storefront for selling gifts, books, clothing, art, and more to support the Refuge. The space also will serve as a fulfillment center for our ShopDingDarling.com online store
Read more about the opening of Nature Store2.
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Mounted brackets help visitors properly position their smartphones, ensuring that photos added to the time lapse are consistently aligned.
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New Chronolog Stations Encourage Citizen Science
Last week, the Refuge installed three Chronolog stations at the Wildlife Education Boardwalk, Mangrove Overlook, and Tarpon Bay Explorers. The Chronolog citizen science project consists of photo stations where visitors can capture and email photos taken from specific sites to create long-term, time-lapse records of the ecosystem. Funded by the DDWS, it has proven to be a great way to engage with the community while also gathering data on natural areas.
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Conservation Cartoon Contest Winners
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| | | Eden Fautz took first place at The Sanibel School with this cartoon. | |
To honor its legacy of cartooning, the Refuge each year holds a Conservation Cartoon Contest at three local elementary schools. The students learn about Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling, who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his editorial cartoons in the early 20th century. Refuge staff then asks the students to draw editorial cartoons illustrating a conservation/environmental issue that's important to them.
This year, students from Patriot Elementary (Cape Coral), Pine Island Elementary (Bokeelia), and The Sanibel School participated. "All the students who entered the contest should be very proud of their work," said Environmental Education Intern Patrick Carney, who organized the 2020 contest. "It is wonderful to see their compassion for conservation and environmental issues."
Refuge staff picked these winners from the three schools included:
PATRIOT Elementary
1. Samuel Rodriguez
2. Valentina Sosa
3. Victoria Alvarez
PINE ISLAND Elementary
1. Sanibelle Franke
2. Jaime Huerta
3. Serenity Davis
SANIBEL School
1. Eden Fautz
2. Sarah Rosinus
3. Yuan Bonhayag
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about becoming part of our new monthly giving program.
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Education Outreach
The pandemic has certainly put a crimp in the Refuge's conservation education style, but the team continues to spread its message of environmental awareness, regardless. On October 31, interns Taína Milán and Patrick Carney, along with Urban Education Leader Melissa Maher, attended the Quality Life Center's Fall Festival in Fort Myers.
Meanwhile, Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland has been teaching classes remotely - to as nearby as The Sanibel School next door and as far away as a school in Austin, Texas.
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| | Ranger Toni taught two Sanibel School classes this week about Florida owls and their adaptations. |
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| Our education interns at work safely reaching out to underserved communities in Fort Myers.
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 75th Anniversary Exhibit at Sanibel Library
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| | The exhibit will feature artifacts never before on display. |
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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Sneak Peek: WoW Exhibit Artwork in the Making
The Wildlife on Wheels (WoW) Education Team is getting geared up for its fall travels to under-served schools and other venues around the five-county area. Watch for news of the mobile classroom's unveiling events later this month.
Anyone interested in making a tax-deductible donation to support ongoing needs for the WoW project can contact Birgie Miller at 239-472-1100 ext. 232.
WoW artist David Williams at work on painting murals for the WoW mobile classroom.
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Here is the complete list of sponsors to date; profuse thanks to one and all:
Call of the Wild Level Sponsors
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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Refuge 75th Anniversary Proclamation
At the November 3 meeting of the Sanibel City Council, Mayor Kevin Ruane read and presented the Refuge and DDWS with a special proclamation recognizing December 1 as the official 75th Anniversary of the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
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Parking Volunteers Needed
DDWS is looking for 10 volunteers to help with parking for the 75th Anniversary Gala on December 1. If interested, please email April Boehnen or call 239.472.1100 ext. 256. |
ADVOCACY IN ACTION
What's Happening with the Caloosahatchee River Watershed?
by Sarah Ashton and Jim Metzler, DDWS Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs The Caloosahatchee River begins in Lake Hicpochee, approximately10 miles west of Clewiston. The Caloosahatchee River Watershed (CRW) is the 424 square miles of terrain that contain numerous streams and rivers that flow into the Caloosahatchee. In addition to nutrients from Lake Okeechobee, excess nutrients also flow from the watershed into the Caloosahatchee as it meanders for 67 miles before entering the Gulf of Mexico, just a couple of miles from the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Because of the impact the excess nutrients have on our water quality, the condition of the CRW is vitally important to the Refuge. This article will provide an overview READ MORE.
In Case You Missed It
A couple of updates on the release of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) from Lake O: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the approval of a planned deviation from the water control plan for Lake O in order to reduce risk from HABs. See more. A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the harm to wildlife caused by water released from Lake Okeechobee. See more. |
We were thrilled to hear recently from Shay Hart, one of our Environmental Education Interns back in fall 2018. Here's what she's been up to since leaving "Ding."
"I finished a masters in environmental education in May and am now working for the Desert Research Institute in Nevada as the STEM Education and Outreach Coordinator." Congratulations to Shay and good luck in her chosen field. The DDWS supports the Intern Program for the Refuge by providing stipends and other benefits.
To make a gift to support the internship program: 
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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.
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Photo credit Charles LeBuff
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This week's photo dates back to 1965 as Wildlife Drive was taking shape atop a dike built for mosquito control. Former refuge ranger and Sanibel historian Charles LeBuff explains how it morphed into one of the nation's most-traveled refuge drives: "There was never a 'formal' opening of the dike to people. It just started to happen once the final leveling was done and when Colon Moore [namesake of the Refuge's Colon's Point] started digging back on the other side. It then became common knowledge and public use began to increase sort of automatically. It was 'done' in 1965, and he started digging a south dike that has since become Indigo Trail."
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Kudos to Naples City Council
Last month, the city council of our neighbors to the south, Naples, Florida, approved an ordinance to ban gas-powered leaf blowers within city limits. One year from now, only electric or battery-powered leaf blowers at 65 decibels or less will be allowed. Violations could result in a $100 fine for a first offense and a $500 fine for each additional offense.
 Gas blowers have been proven hazardous to users' health in addition to the noise pollution and wildlife disturbance they cause. The "Ding" Darling maintenance crew converted to electric blowers many months ago.
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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: 2,332 acres; 20 miles west of Boston, Massachusetts
Totemic Fauna: Blanding's Turtle, American Beaver, Blue-spotted Salamander
Visitor's Tip: There are 15 miles of trails (half are open to biking) as well as a visitor center.
The endangered Blanding's Turtle
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| | | Photo by Jim Bennight | |
Click HERE to see this week's wildlife sightings.
American Alligators have recently been spotted at the Refuge!
Did you know that although alligators are apex predators, they also eat fruit?
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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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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