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| What Refuge Bird Are You?
Are you bubbly or moody? A picky eater? Talkative or reserved? Take this
flow-chart quiz
to see what you have in common with some of the birds that frequent the Refuge. It's one of our new activities on the
#DingatHome page
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COVID-19 Refuge Status
During the closing of Refuge and DDWS offices, staff are all working remotely and staying employed. To reach DDWS staff, phone 239-472-1100 ext. 232 - or
email. Although the Refuge Nature Store has closed, the
store's e-commerce site is offering a limited stock for shipment anywhere in the U.S. Check daily as the
store staff add more items daily. See below for more details.
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Keep an Eye on Nature
Visit our
Wildlife Web Cams page to get an eyeful of nature during pandemic quarantining. Watch eagle parents, ospreys, waterfowl, peregrine falcon eggs, and wild scenery across the nation to fill your daily prescription of nature watching.
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Earth Day Challenge
The Refuge has canceled its scheduled Earth Day at Refuge on April 22, according to coronavirus pandemic guidelines, and has switched gears to a 50
th
anniversary online Earth Day Challenge. Tune into the
Refuge's official Facebook page
for live and static challenges throughout the day.
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The Animal Origami Challenge demonstrates how to make sea turtles and other wildlife by folding paper. |
They will kick off with a video of Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland talking about the importance of Earth Day and the Refuge's challenges for the day. Throughout the day, challenges will be revealed on Facebook that may include animal origami, no power hour, finding nature in your backyard, picking up trash in
READ MORE
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#DingatHome
To keep its fans and friends in touch with nature and engaged in calming, educational activities during the COVID-19 outbreak, the Refuge and DDWS have debuted programs for stay-at-home families and individuals. They have created virtual experiences that all ages can enjoy via social media and the
#DingatHome
web page.
"Learning about nature is always important for kids and adults alike," said Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland. "During this challenging climate of social distancing and self-isolation, it becomes crucial that we nourish our souls with the beauty and wonder of wildlife and its habitat." Follow the
Official Refuge Facebook page for daily themed activity videos posted at
READ MORE
Kudos: "Ding" Darling recently received a
shout-out from the National Wildlife Refuge System nationally for its #DingatHome virtual teaching - the first of its kind in the NWRS. Ranger Toni spoke on a webinar about virtual outreach during this time of educational challenges.
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Check out the new
Currently Available page
on the ShopDingDarling.com e-commerce page. It features a limited number of small, easy-to-mail items the store is able to access and send during the current state stay-at-home order, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Peruse the site's other pages to see the new items being added weekly for order when the site fully reopens. Remember, profits from all purchases benefit the Refuge and conservation, which need your support now more than ever. Thanks for your patronage.
Now you can follow the latest available gifts by online order at our new e-commerce site
Instagram page. Follow today to keep in the loop about products as they become available during and after the COVI
D-19 crisis.
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WoW Rolling Along thanks to the support of our donors!
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Interior mobile classroom renderings by fabrication artist David Williams
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Building, design, and curriculum planning continue on the Refuge's
Wildlife on Wheels (WoW) mobile classroom project. This week, the planning team is meeting with Lee County
School
District environment teachers to help identify species the mobile classroom should address and create a series of scavenger hunts that WoW facilitators will be administering to teach state standards - a different set of questions for each grade kindergarten through 12th,
plus a non-grade-specific one for non-school venues.
Starting this fall, WoW will be scheduled to visit schools, libraries, senior facilities, conservation-minded events, and economically challenged and minority communities in the five-county area to teach about water quality, the ecosystem, wildlife, and other topics that meet the Refuge's mission.
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Sanibel Island Rice Rat Research Status
by "Ding" Darling Deputy Refuge Manager Erin Myers
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One of 12 bucket camera traps the SIRR team uses
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In the fall of 2019, the USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program partnered with the city of Sanibel (COS) and Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) to fund a Sanibel Island Rice Rat (SIRR) Habitat Restoration Project on lands adjacent to the J.N. "Ding" Darling NWR. The project location is a mosaic of USFWS-, COS- and SCCF-owned parcels, and has documented occurrence of SIRR (documented during a 2016-2019 University of Florida study). Initial mechanical removal of trees and shrubs was planned to begin in April 2020, so preliminary SIRR monitoring began in February. Twelve bucket camera traps (see photo above) were placed within the planned project area to monitor presence and absence of SIRR. Photos collected in late March showed use by Black Rats, but no use by SIRR.
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The rare and at-risk Rice Rat found exclusively on Sanibel Island
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Although vegetation management work has been postponed due to the current COVID-
19 pandemic, camera work will READ MORE
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DDWS Teacher Grant in Action
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Creating garden space
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Building a greenhouse at East Lee County High
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The DDWS Education Committee recently received photos from one of our 2019-2020 Teacher Conservation Grant recipients. East Lee County High in Lehigh Acres has been working on its project titled "Growing Our Future."
All grades are participating in the project. They used DDWS funds for supplies to build two greenhouses, two rain
barrels, garden hoses, a
nd a cultivator. The goal of the project is to create, nurture, and maintain an outdoor garden space to support agricultural education and eliminate food scarcity in the com
munity. During this pandemic, the garden is sti
ll being harvested and is supplying the fruits and vegetables to needy families.
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Tarpon Tourney
In the meantime, we thank all of our
generous sponsors, who stand ready with their support and good faith.
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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.
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Iowa Pleistocene Snail |
Location: 812 non-contiguous acres in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin
Totemic Flora & Fauna: Iowa Pleistocene Snail, Northern Wild Monkshood
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GOING GREEN
Preventing Food Waste:
More Tips
Did you know?
- Food stored on the refrigerator door doesn't stay as cold as on inside shelves; store eggs, milk, and other foods that perish quickly in the refrigerator's interior.
- Onions and tomatoes let off a gas that hastens the spoiling of potatoes, so they should be stored away from each other in a cool, dark spot.
- Most foods keep longer once they are cooked.
Roughly one-third of the food produced worldwide for human consumption gets wasted or lost every year? That adds up to approximately 1.3 billion tons.
During this period of self-isolating and avoiding unnecessary trips to the grocery store, storing and keeping food as long as possible becomes more important than ever. We will continue to share tips with you about preventing food waste in upcoming bulletins to mitigate this issue.
Shop wisely, store food properly, and learn how to preserve fresh produce, meat, and seafood. Visit
healthline.com
for more tips.
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Photo credit: Rebecca Clemens
Lots of nest-building: Keep your eyes peeled for chicks. |
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Click
HERE to see this week's wildlife sightings.
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| Photo credit: David Jeffrey |
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It seems this Tri-colored Heron is either stretching its wings or asking for a hug. Either way, we all understand the feeling. Did you know Tri-colored Herons have an average wingspan of just over 3 feet?
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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Endangered Species Day at the Refuge
- May 15, 2020
75th Anniversary Island "Spoonie" Island Scavenger Hunt Kick-off - June 1, 2020
"Ding" Grand Marshal in Fourth of July Parade - July 4, 2020
75th Anniversary "Ding:" The Man, The Art, The Stories Exhibition Opening
- October 20, 2020
75th Anniversary Proclamation at City Hall - November 3, 2020
Holiday Shopping Night - November 30, 2020
Official 75th
Anniversary Celebration
- December 1, 2020
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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