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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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We WON! Click
HERE to read more about America's best restroom.
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Yellow-crowned night heron photo by David Jeffrey
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Purchase a special T-shirt at
On Island and support the Wulfert Acquisition
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Happy Spring!
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Marsh Rabbit by Danielle Lynch |
Wishing you, your family, and your backyard wildlife happy spring celebrations. Note that the Refuge, Visitor & Education Center, and
Tarpon Bay Explorers
will be fully OPEN for normal operating hours throughout the Easter weekend. So hop on over, and enjoy spring's wildlife bounty.
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Monday, April 22: Earth Day at the Refuge
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Get your picture taken with Bagzilla, the "bag monster" dressed in the average person's annual consumption of plastic bags.
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Because Earth Day 2019 falls on the Monday following Easter, a day off for Lee County Schools students, we have expanded the free event to include a full day of tours, crafts, films, and programs on April 22. The Refuge will celebrate the 29th anniversary
READ MORE
Click HERE for a Earth Day press release from the City of Sanibel on this contest.
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New Solar Kiosk
Last week, the Refuge celebrated the completion of its solar panel project with a new informational kiosk created and installed by the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society. The solar project began in 2015 with DDWS' San-Cap Solar Connect, an initiative that encouraged island residents and businesses to convert to solar power by taking advantage of cooperative buying discounts.
The new kiosk demonstrates energy savings since the Refuge's maintenance building underwent conversion -- in terms of money, circumvented CO
2
emissions, gasoline offsets, and other criteria. Eventually, the same data will become available from the panels more recently installed on the Visitor & Education Center. The Refuge solar program was made possible by donations from Fred and Alice Stanback. 
"We're excited to be able to provide interpretation for our visitors to see how the Refuge is using this renewable resource and the positive impacts that result from choosing green energy sources," said DDWS intern April Boehnen, who spearheaded the kiosk project.
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Need Donations NOW: 68-Acre Acquisition
The "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society is moving forward with its project to raise $3 million in private donations to complete the $9.5 million acquisition of Wulfert Bayous, the last large parcel of unprotected and undeveloped land on Sanibel Island. We are getting near to the $2.7 Million mark toward the $3 Million goal.
Click
here
to read more about the project and to make contributions.
Click
HERE
to watch our video about the Wulfert Bayous' preservation campaign.
To make donations or pledges in person,
contact Birgie Miller
, DDWS Executive Director at 239-472-1100 ext. 4.
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 ADVOCACY: How Can the Changes to Lake O's Release Schedule Help the Refuge?
By Sa
rah Ashton & Jim Metzler, DDWS Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs
As described in a previous newsletter, the Army Corps of Engineers is embarking on a multiyear project to establish a new release schedule for Lake Okeechobee (Lake O). We ask you to send a letter to the Army Corps to let it know how the schedule needs to change to better protect the Refuge. A few things we are advocating for in the new
READ MORE
Check out our new
Advocacy Resources Page
for more background information on water quality issues and what you can do.
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@sheilynhuang enjoying her "Ding" gear with her son.
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Last week, the DDWS
Instagram account surpassed 9,500 followers. We are currently running a 10K Giveaway to encourage more people to follow us and use our Instagram page. To be entered in the giveaway, all you have to do is follow our page and send us a direct message saying that you followed us because of "Ding" on the Wing. The person whose name we pull will win a free hat, t-shirt, and a follower feature post on our page.
Congratulations to
@sheilynhuang, our first 10K Giveaway winner
. This picture of her and her son enjoying their "Ding" gear from the Refuge Nature Store made our day! She let us know that her son, four-years-old when they last visited the Refuge, loved seeing an alligator, and so we made sure he received a 'gator T-shirt. "My son still talks about Sanibel Island and alligators all the time!" she said.
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Proposed Fee Changes:
Refuge Seeks Public Comment
The Refuge is accepting public comments on proposed changes to the Refuge's recreation fee structure, scheduled to go into effect on October 1, 2020. Through May 31, 2019, comments can be submitted to "Ding" Darling via email, phone (239-472-1100), or mail (1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel, Florida 33957). READ MORE
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Be Among the First: Own a 75th Anniversary Keepsake
Made in the USA expressly for the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society to celebrate the Refuge's 75
th
anniversary in 2020, this 3D gold-plated, handmade ornament releases tomorrow, April 19. It makes a cherished keepsake for anyone who loves "Ding" Darling and its legacy of protecting wildlife since 1945. "Sanibel, Florida" and the DDWS website URL are etched on the back of the ornament, handsomely packaged for gift-giving. 
Stop in and pick up your 75th Anniversary Ornaments today. Or contact Store Manager Ann-Marie Wildman at 239-472-1100 ext. 241 for more information about mail-ordering these to ship anywhere in the U.S.
Remember,
members of "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society receive a 10% discount at the Nature Store. Profits from all Nature Store sales go directly to the Refuge for educational programs and wildlife research.
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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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Bald Eagle |
Location:
Near Missouri Valley, Iowa (8,362 acres)
Totemic Fauna:
Bald Eagle, Yellow Warbler
Fun for the Family:
The visitor center contains the Bertrand Steamboat Museum.
Visitor's Tip:
The refuge is currently closed due to spring flooding. Call or visit the website before visiting.
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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.
Our 'Plasticated' Lives
As we celebrate Earth Day on April 22, the Refuge focuses on the plastic crisis and its negative, often fatal impact on marine life. Some facts from the
Rachel Carson Council
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The average U.S. citizen consumes 167 plastic water bottles each year-but recycles just 25% of them.
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The amount of plastic in the world's oceans could increase by a factor of 10 in the next decade.
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Cigarette butts, plastic bags, fishing gear, and food and beverage containers are the most common forms of plastic pollution found in the oceans.
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50% of plastic is used just once and thrown away.
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Packaging is the largest end use market segment accounting for just over 40% of total plastic usage.
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Annually approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. More than one million bags are used every minute.
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
Indigo Buntings and other spring migrants such as the Summer Tanager have been seen throughout the Refuge this past week. Photo by Patricia MacInnis.
T
o see more wildlife photos 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 Development Officer,
Sierra Hoisington, for a chance to be featured in upcoming newsletters.
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Stay tuned as we reveal our calendar of special activities to celebrate the Refuge's 75th anniversary starting later this year. |
Free Refuge Summer Programs
- June 5-August 3, 2019
Clyde Butcher Photography 75
th
Anniversary Exhibition
- November 10, 2019-February 8, 2020
75
th
Anniversary Happy Hour Holiday Shopping
- December 1, 2019
75
th
Anniversary Lecture Series
- January 24-April 10, 2020
75
th
Anniversary Go Wild for "Ding"
- February 12, 2020
75
th
Anniversary Artist in Residence Program
Official 75
th
Anniversary Celebration
- December 1, 2020
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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 Christopher Gutierrez & April Boehnen.
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