June 16, 2022

Summer WoW Intern

Skye McDonald-Newman recently joined the Refuge team, thanks to funding from DDWS. She fills the role of educator for the WoW (Wildlife on Wheels) mobile classroom and other educational “Ding” programs.

Skye grew up on North Captiva Island, Florida, and a farm in Kearneysville, West Virginia. She currently attends Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, and will graduate in spring 2023 with a major in environmental studies and minor in biology.

“I'm really looking forward to getting out with WoW and teaching local kids and families about coastal and marine ecosystems that are so important,” said Skye. “I spent my formative years on North Captiva, so these habitats are very special to me, and being able to teach kids about them is very special to me.”

“Skye is knowledgeable about the local environment, so she will be a valuable asset in helping us fulfill our mission to reach underserved summer-camp kids who might not have the opportunity to visit the Refuge,” said Urban Education Leader Melissa Maher.

“’Ding’ Darling is such a magical, incredibly unique place, not only in the vast diversity of wildlife that calls the Refuge home but also in the people who work here,” said Skye. “The Refuge employees, ‘Ding’ Darling Wildlife Society, interns, and amazing volunteers are so kind and vastly intelligent.”

DDWS provides living stipends and other benefits for about a dozen interns each year. For more information about Refuge internship programs and supporting them, contact Sierra Hoisington, DDWS associate director, at 239-472-1100 ext. 233.

October 29: Refuge Announces Art in the Wild

In celebration of National Wildlife Refuge Week, “Ding” Darling’s 145th birthday, and DDWS’ 40th anniversary, the Refuge introduces Art in the Wild on Saturday, October 29. Stay tuned for announcements about activities honoring 2022-2023 Duck Stamp artists and the legacy of Refuge namesake Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling, a Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist of the early 20th century. Current, six-time Federal Duck Stamp winner Jim Hautman will make a personal appearance that day to sign stamps. The Refuge’s 2022-2023 Artist in Residence Jacqui Roch will be on hand to lead nature-art demos and workshops, plus READ MORE

2022-2023 Federal Duck Stamp by six-time winner Jim Hautman

19K Instagram followers

Congratulations to the DDWS social media team for surpassing the 19,000 milestone for Instagram followers. Don’t get left behind! Follow us today to enjoy stunning photography, fun games, and news as it happens.

Your Backyard Nature

Nature is where you find it, and quite often you can find it no farther than your back yard. Whether you live on Sanibel Island or in a completely different environment in faraway places like Connecticut or New Mexico, we want to see what you're seeing in your habitat at home. Thank you to an anonymous reader for sharing a backyard nature photo of a Red Eft from a back yard in Allegany County, New York.

Please email your backyard 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.

Victory for Advocacy

Thanks to all who responded to our call to action this winter as legislators tried to push through eleventh-hour SB 2508, which would negatively impact progress on Everglades restoration and local water quality. Your efforts paid off last week when Governor Ron DeSantis announced at a press conference held at Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille on Fort Myers Beach that he had vetoed the controversial bill. A number of local leaders had dropped everything to leave immediately for Tallahassee to oppose the bill in February. Thousands of emails, letters, and phone calls from constituents, at the urging of DDWS and other like-minded organizations, sent a clear message to the governor to block the passage of Big Sugar-skewed clauses in the bill. We applaud all of you who helped prove that advocacy can make a difference.

View a video of DeSantis’ announcement.

Photograph Credit: Shane Antalick

ADVOCACY IN ACTION

Congressional Staff Visit

by Jim Metzler, Co-chair, DDWS Advocacy Committee

One of the most important things that the Advocacy Committee can do to protect the Refuge is work with our partners to educate decision-makers on the issues that impact our area in general and the Refuge in particular. In early June, the Advocacy Committee hosted the staff of Byron Donalds, the U.S. representative for our congressional district.

Members of DDWS were present at the meeting, including Sarah Ashton, president; Bill Harkey, member of the Board of Directors; and Jim Metzler, co-chair of the Advocacy Committee. In addition to Sarah, others speakers at the event were Kevin Godsea, Refuge Manager; James Evans, CEO of SCCF; Holly Smith, Sanibel mayor; and John Lai, President and CEO of the Sanibel & Captiva Chamber of Commerce.

Part of the visit involved helping Donalds’ staff understand the area we are trying to protect by taking them out on Tarpon Bay with the assistance of our Refuge concession Tarpon Bay Explorers. Another part of the visit was having all of the speakers discuss, from their unique perspective the challenges to our water resources. One of the key takeaways for Donalds’ staff : Whether you are a conservation group, federal agency, city government, or chamber of commerce, you are looking at the challenges in exactly the same way and expect our elected officials to do what they can to help mitigate those challenges.

Remember, profits from all Nature Store sales go directly to the Refuge for educational programs, wildlife research, and overall conservation efforts.

Wildlife Drive and trails remain open for the

federal holiday.

June 19: Juneteenth Closure

Wildlife Drive and all Refuge trails will be open on Sunday, June 19, for the Juneteenth holiday. The Visitor & Education Center, however, will be closed for the federal holiday, but the America’s Best Restroom will stay open for your convenience. All Refuge offices will close June 19 and June 20. Bailey Tract and Tarpon Bay Explorers will remain open.

Upcoming Free Programs

Mindfulness activities continue throughout the summer, and other special tours and programs, too, will be made available for pre-registration at DingDarling.Eventbrite.com. The activities below are on the calendar for coming weeks.

Thursday, June 16 – Guided Mindfulness Walk at Bailey Tract, 8:30 a.m.
Thursday, June 16 – Ranger-led Indigo Trail Walk, 9 a.m.
Friday, June 16 – Birds of the Refuge Walk, 10 a.m.
Tuesday, June 21 – Meditate Among the Mangroves at the Wildlife Education Boardwalk, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 25 – Morning Mindfulness Beach Stroll, 8 a.m.
Tuesday, June 28 – Meditate Among the Mangroves at the Wildlife Education Boardwalk, 4:30 p.m.

View summer programs flyer.

Photograph: Join a Morning Mindfulness Beach Stroll on June 25.

WoW (Wildlife on Wheels)

A letter from Anji McStravic, Science Coach at Lehigh Elementary, about the Refuge’s WoW (Wildlife on Wheels) mobile classroom experience:

Toni, Melissa, and the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society,

I will start by saying what an accomplishment and asset you are to our community! I can’t begin to thank you enough for offering this great opportunity to our students and SWFL community. Lehigh Elementary is a large low socio-economic school in the heart of Lehigh Acres…. Due to the distance and the low socio-economic status of our families, most of our students have never had the opportunity to visit “Ding” Darling, or Sanibel, or even the closest beach. The WoW Mobile Classroom brings those ecosystems to our students, and more importantly, creates a hands-on experience miles away READ MORE

Donate to support the upkeep and programming for education efforts to reach Title 1 schools and underserved communities with conservation messaging and education.

Intern Thank-You

Former WoW Intern David Iglesias expressed his gratitude for his experience this season in a thank-you letter:

Dear “Ding” Darling Family,

It isn’t easy to put in words how honored and thankful I am for the opportunity of working in “Ding” Darling. The experience with the WoW has been one of the most rewarding in my life. It was not only my first approach to the American culture, but it showed me how big the heart of the American people could be. To be able to accomplish such impressive work only through donations is impressive.

As a Latinx and immigrant community member, seeing READ MORE

Learn about Refuge internship programs. DDWS supports more than a dozen interns each year. Your donations help with this important program.

David (far right) working with kids outside the WoW mobile classroom

Keep the Tarpon Tourney Earning (x 2!)

Donate now through July 1, 2022, to keep supporting the annual “Ding” Darling & Doc Ford’s Tarpon Tournament, and your generosity automatically doubles. Thanks to Refuge volunteers and donors Bill & Laurie Harkey, part of a $1 million contribution to DDWS this year matches all tournament donations. Call 239-472-1100 ext. 4 to support or visit the DONATE page. Indicate TOURNEY in the notes to have your contribution doubled.

Last Call: Bennight Nature Photography Exhibition

June 30 marks the final day of the Photography of Jim Bennight Exhibition in the Visitor & Education Center auditorium. The photographer himself will be on hand Saturday, June 18, from 11 a.m. until noon to meet guests and discuss his work with them.

Jim got started in photography during his university days as a stringer for United Press International syndicated news agency. After several years as a fulltime newspaper photographer, he opened a studio for portraits and weddings.

Along the way, Jim earned numerous state and regional awards for both his newspaper and studio work. He later discovered a passion for nature photography and, as a “Ding” Darling volunteer, spends much of his time capturing birds and other wildlife. This time of year, you will usually find him at the Wildlife Education Boardwalk shooting stunning images of nesting birds and their subsequent chicks.

Scheduled Refuge art exhibitions:

Jim Bennight Nature Photography Exhibition - Through June 30, 2022

2022-23 Artist-in-Residence Jacqui Roch Exhibition - September 1-end of October, 2022

Vince Thomalla Art Exhibition - January-February 2023

Niki Butcher Art Exhibition - November 15-December 31, 2022 (sponsored by Wayne & Linda Boyd)

Ikki & Polly Matsumoto Art Exhibition – March-April 2023

Donate to support the Refuge in continuing art shows in the Visitor & Education Center.

Refuge Spotlight - America's Best Kept Secret

Here we showcase one of the more than 560 refuges across the U.S.A.

Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge

Location: 8,907 acres in Oregon, 14,876 acres in Washington State; Hermiston, Oregon

Totemic fauna: Mule Deer, Badger, Burrowing Owl

Visitor tips: The auto tour is open dawn to dusk.

Image courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

GOING GREEN

Earth-Friendly in Every Room

Color your home green with these tips for every room in the house.

BEDROOM: Textile waste amounts to 11.3 million tons every year. When buying clothing, choose items you will wear at least 30 times and are made with natural fabrics, rather than synthetics, which contribute harmful microplastic to our waterways.

BATHROOM: Reduce plastic waste by purchasing bar shampoo and soap.

KITCHEN: Wash produce in a bowlful of water, rather than under a running tap, to save more than a gallon of water per minute.

LIVING ROOM: Nearly a third of cooling and heating energy goes out the window, even when closed. Use curtains, blinds, and other window treatments to regulate indoor temperatures and save money.

Source

Photo by Sylvia Guarino

Wildlife Sightings & Tides

Multiple visitors have recently reported seeing Bobcats and their kittens around the Refuge. Although Bobcats are known for being nocturnal or crepuscular, it is still possible to see them quietly sneaking about during the day. Always keep your eyes peeled for these wild cats.

Click HERE to see this week's wildlife sightings.

If you have taken any beautiful, interesting, or just plain goofy photos at the Refuge, send them to Development Assistant Jessica Barry for a chance to be featured in upcoming newsletters.