ding darling wildlife society newsletter -...
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From: "\"Ding\" Darling Wildlife Society" <[email protected]>Subject: News from "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society
Date: March 3, 2016 5:13:48 AM ESTTo: [email protected]
Reply-To: [email protected]
Photo by Ruth AnnSchwart
"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society NewsletterMarch 3, 2016
In This Issue
Lecture Tomorrow
Solar Deadline Extended!
Farewell Glen Gresham
Film March 16
Tarpon Tourney
Nature Explorers Camp
Wildlife Sightings - Great WhitePelican
Upcoming Events
We Need Your Help! Adding to Refuge Land Holdings
Our latest campaign strives to acquire theoutlined tract of land along Wulfert Road.
Our campaign is underway to acquire 8.51acres on Sanibel Island's Wulfert Road, nearthe exit of Wildlife Drive, as part of a crucialwildlife corridor for the Refuge.
DDWS mustraise $2 millionin private fundsto purchase theparcel, whichlies betweenSCCF land and
Photo by Susan Cassell
Gopher Tortoises are among thecrucial creatures the Wulfert
acquisition will benefit. Photo byTerry Baldwin.
Quick Links
Free 2016 Refuge Programs Scat Video
AccommodationsDiscover 'Ding' App
Nat'l Refuge Assn"Ding" Darling NWRSanibel Bike Video
San-Cap Audubon Lectures"Ding" Darling Wildlife
Society
the Refuge.Donors havealreadycommitted$500,000 of
needed funds, so the goal is to raise theremaining **$1.5 million by February2017.** If not preserved by the Refuge, the landcould be developed with as many as fivedwellings and one boat dock into Pine IslandSound, as already approved by READ MORE
Tomorrow, March 4: Ditch of Dreams Lecture
For centuries, men dreamed of cutting a canalacross the Florida peninsula. Ditch of Dreams: TheCross Florida Barge Canal and the Struggle forFlorida's Future, by Steven Noll and David Tegeder,examines the politics and preservation movementsbehind the long-running controversy. As part of thefree "Ding" Darling Friday Lecture Series, Noll willpresent two programs about the bookbeginning at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, March4, 2016, in the free Visitor & Education Center onSanibel Island. Heedless of environmental concerns, water transportation advocatesconsistently lobbied the federal government to connect the Atlantic Oceanto READ MORE
Partial funding for this program was also provided through a grant fromthe Florida Humanities Council with funds from the National
Endowment for the Humanities.
Thank you to our 2016 Lecture Series Sponsors:
Lecture Videos on
Live Auction
Lecture Videos onYouTube
Have you been disappointed when turnedaway from a Friday lecture in our packed auditoriums?Then you will be happy to know you can still see lecturesyou may have missed. We are now uploading videos ofthe lectures on the DDWS YouTube channel. Look forthem early the week following the lecture on YouTube and in "Ding" on the Wing.
Watch last week's Roseate Spoonbill lecture by Jerry Lorenz by clicking above
SanCap Solar ConnectDeadline Extended to
March 15, 2016Residents of Sanibel and Captiva islandscan still realize savings on solar energyconversion through the collective buying power of SanCap Solar Connect, by signingup on or before the extended deadline of March 15, 2016. "We originally set the deadline for February 2016 because READ MORE
Farewell to a Friend
On February 24, 2016, longtime and loyal volunteer Dr.Glen Gresham passed away under hospice care. Glen
volunteered at the Refuge, along with his wife Phyllis, sinceNovember 2003, clocking nearly 1,500 hours.
"Glen worked great with our visitors, orienting them to theRefuge and helping them identify birds and plants," said
Volunteer Coordinator Jeff Combs. "He was a great friend andwill be missed by his fellow volunteers, the entire Refuge staff
and myself."A memorial service to cele brate Glen's life will takeplace at 11 a.m. on March 19, 2016, at the Sanibel
Congregational UCC. Click here to read Glen's obituary.
Thanks to Our Go Wild Event Sponsors &Auction Donors and those who attended!
Thanks to the following for helping usraise money to benefit Refuge wildliferesearch and land acquisition projectswith their generous support throughattendance, sponsorships, donations
and auction purchases for the Go Wildfor "Ding" - Dance of the Reddish Egret
event February 23.
Sponsors: Champion: Mark & Gretchen Banks; John & Kathy McCabe; Jim &Patty Sprankle Guardian Sponsors: Matzaluna ItalianKitchen; South Seas Resort. Protector Sponsors: Bailey's General
Zebra Longwing butterflyby Terry Baldwin
Leslie Poole byDeirdre Macnab
Kitchen; South Seas Resort. Protector Sponsors: Bailey's GeneralStore; Peter & Paula Bentinck-Smith; Jay & Cindy Brown; AmandaCross; Sarah Ashton, Jim Metzler; Trader's Store & Café; Don & Ann-Marie Wildman; Island Cinema. Defender Sponsors: Big Red QQuickprint; Hightower Advisors of Ft. Myers; Cast About Charters; Mike & TerryBaldwin; Doug & Sherry Gentry; George & Wendy's Seafood Grille; Greenwood Consulting Group; Phyllis & Glen Gresham; Gulf Coast LandscapeSupply; Dick & Emily Muench; Queenies Ice Cream; Sanibel SweetShoppe; TradeMarky Films; Vortex Optics
Auction Donors: 50% Off Framing, Anisa Jewelry, Terry Baldwin, Laura Ball, Mark &Gretchen Banks, BIG ARTS, Billy's Bike Shop, Blue Coyote SupperClub, Broadway Palm, Bubble Room, Cast About Charters, LucCentury, Disney World, Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille, Jerry Edelman,Florida Repertory Theatre, Florida Weekly, George & Wendy'sSeafood Grille, Gulf Coast Landscape Supply, Judy Hicks, AlHoffacker Half-Cracker Photo, Island Cinema , Island PizzaCompany, Island Therapy Center, Richard Johnson, Sarah Lathrop,Lazy Flamingo, Lighthouse Café, Pat Lussier, Matzaluna's ItalianKitchen, John McCabe, Birgie Miller, Lyn
Morningstar, Over Easy Café, Ann Peay,Queenie's Ice Cream, Rosie's Café and Grill,Carol Rothman, Sanibel Art & Frame, Sanibel Catering byBailey's, Sanibel Fish House, Sanibel Seashell Industries,Sanibel Sweet Shoppe, South Seas Island Resort, Jim & PattySprankle, Sunset Grill, Synergy Sportswear, Tarpon BayExplorers, Traders Store & Café, Vortex Binoculars, Ralph &Jean Woodring
Saturday, March 5: Live Butterflies
Join us in the Visitor & Education Center Auditorium A onSaturday, March 5, at 1 p.m. for a "Live Native Butterflies
of Southwest Florida" program. Speakers Gary and AliceLavimoniere, volunteers at both the Refuge and the Butterfly
Estates in Fort Myers, will follow a short PowerPointpresentation with on-going interpretation until 2 p.m.. Thepresentation features five live native butterfly species, plushost plants, live caterpillars, and chrysalides. Admission is
free. Click here for a schedule of other free programs and tours during the winter season.
Lecture Friday, March 11Women & Florida's Environment
Dredge-and-fill projects, air pollution, and pesticides spread souncontrollably in Florida during the twentieth century that theysparked an environmental movement within the state. Women oftenled the fight. Leslie Kemp Poole's Saving Florida: Women's Fight forthe Environment in the Twentieth Century chronicles women'sconservation efforts. The author will present two programs beginning at 10 a.m. and 1p.m. on Friday, March 11, 2016, in the free "Ding" Darling READMORE
Wednesday, March 16: Crash: The Tale of Two SpeciesThe documentary film Crash: The Tale of Two Species continuesthe fourth annual "Ding" Darling Film Series on March 16 at 2:30p.m. in the Visitor & Education Center auditorium. Each year the red knot, a small shorebird, embarks on a 10,000-mile journey that coincides in Delaware Bay with the annualspawning of the horseshoe crab. The crab eggs fuel the birds forone of the largest migrations on earth, but crab populations are indecline READ MORE
April 22: Federal Junior Duck Stamp Judging On April 22, 2016, "Ding" Darling Reufge celebrates Earth Day with anexciting, first-ever event: the judging of the Federal Junior DuckStamp Contest. Started right here on Sanibel Island by elementary art school teacherJaye Boswell, the Junior Duck Stamp program involves thousands ofentries nationwide. The final federal-level judging selects a winner from Best of Showwinners throughout the 50 states and territories. The winner's work selected at"Ding" Darling will grace the 2016-2017 Junior Duck Stamp. The public is invited to attend the judging at the Refuge Visitor & Education Center.Seating will be limited and on a first-come basis. Times will be announced
closer to the date, so please stay tuned to "Ding" on theWing emails or call the Refuge for up-to-date information.
Jaye Boswell, "Mother of the Junior Duck Stamp Program,"judges a recent Florida-wide competition at "Ding" Darling,
where the state judging is held annually.
April 29: Tarpon TourneyRegistration DeadlineONLY 1 spot remains!
A 100-percent purse promises to make the fifthannual "Ding" Darling & Doc Ford's TarponTournament on May 7, 2016, the hottest
competition on the water. It pays out 100 percentof entry fees as tournament awards. Registration
deadline is April 29. The field is limited to 50 boats,and has filled up quickly READ MORE
Sponsors are stillneeded to help raise money for the
conservation efforts at the J.N. "Ding"Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
Tourney anglers practice safecatch and release.
Darling National Wildlife Refuge. The following are current
sponsors:
Title Sponsor:
Presenting Sponsor:
Platinum Sponsors:
Gold Sponsors:
Campers learn about naturephotography, among other outdoor
skills.
Silver Sponsors: The Bait Box, Shoreline Lumber
Click to see sponsor levels. Email orcall Birgie Miller at 239-292-0566 tobecome a sponsor.
2016 Nature Explorers
Summer Day Camp Thanks to continued supportfrom anonymous donors, the
Refuge will host its second annual day campprogram for the summer of 2016. This year thecamp has been extended to six consecutive weeklong Nature Explorers Day Camp sessions, startingon June 20, 2016. Campers may attend only onesession. Deadline for application is April 29.
Each session will be limited to 14 middle school students (completed fourth, fifth, orsixth grade) from the Lee County and surrounding school districts or home schoolequivalent. Students attending Title 1 schools will receive preference. Lotterydrawings READ MORE
New and gorgeous, artfulwooden bowls of Sanibel
Island artist MarianneRavenna now grace our store
shelves. Made frombeechwood, and individually decorated with acrylic paint then
coated with polyurethane, they are safe for use with coldfoods. The small, shell-themed bowls cost $95 each; the largefish bowl is $275. The Nature Store is also taking orders for
custom bowls and bowl sets.
Visit, email, or call 239-472-1100 ext. 241 to purchase your gifts today. Proceedsfrom all Nature Store purchases benefit Refuge conservation programs.
'Ding' & PoliticiansAs election campaign balderdash continues to flood thenews, let's take a look at a comment from Jay Norwood"Ding" Darling in a 1938 political cartoon that appeared inthe Des Moines Register. The Pulitzer Prize-winningcartoonist often lampooned politicians and frequently tookup the cause of conservation. Here he does both.
Photo by Joy Henderson Photo by Lillian Stokes
Photo by France Paulsen Photo by Lillian Stokes
Click on the cartoon to see it enlarged.
Wildlife Sightings & Tides
Special Visitor EditionThis has been an unbelievable week for birders at the Refuge! We havehad a VERY special visitor. Learn more in the following commentary byworld-renowned birders, Don & Lillian Stokes.
"How exciting that a rare Great White Pelican should find a welcome in J.N. 'Ding'Darling National Wildlife Refuge. First discovered on Sunday, this bird was last seenTuesday morning preening on the sandbar at the Tower Pond in 'Ding' Darling in thecompany of the American White Pelicans, then she flew and joined a small group ofAmerican White Pelicans headed east...." READ MORE
In the photos below of the Great White Pelican, take note of its distinct yellow-orangeeye patches, yellow chest coloration, and multicolored bill. It is much larger than thegroup of American White Pelicans that it has been seen with.
If youhave taken any beautiful, interesting, or just plain goofy photos taken at the Refuge,send them to Society intern Carrie Alexander for a chance to be featured in upcomingnewsletters.
Free Winter Programs - January 4-April 3, 2016Friday Lecture Series - January 8-April 15, 2016 Sponsors: Hightower Advisors and Mike & Terry BaldwinBiweekly Winter Film Series - January 13-April 6,
Biweekly Winter Film Series - January 13-April 6,2016. Sponsor: Sanibel Captiva Beach ResortsLive Butterflies of Southwest Florida - March 5,
2016Federal Junior Duck Stamp Judging at the Refuge/Earth Day - April 22, 2016Fifth Annual "Ding" Darling & Doc Ford's Tarpon Tournament - May 7, 201627th Annual "Ding" Darling Days - October 16-22, 2016Smithsonian Water/Ways Exhibit - October 29-December 9, 2016
These are just snapshots of some of the things taking place at your Wildlife Refuge. Please check our website at www.dingdarlingsociety.org to learn more!
Sincerely,Birgit Miller, Executive Director
"Ding" On The Wing composed by Chelle Koster WaltonDesigned by Sarah Lathrop and interns Carrie Alexander and Anna Grubb
Ding Darling Wildlife Society, PO Box 565, Sanibel, FL 33957
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