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PRESS RELEASE (CORRECTED)
September 14, 2013
For Immediate Release

Friends of the Savannah Coastal Wildlife Refuges
Refuge Week 2013 Activities
Join us October 11-13, 2013!!
(Sorry about the typos in the Press Release dated September 12 and the multiple distributions.  I realize it is 2013, not 2003, don't know how that slipped by.  Thanks to the readers who notified me of the error.  Here is the corrected version).

Once again, the Friends are partnering with the US FWS to sponsor activities as part of National Wildlife Refuge Week!  This is one of our major public outreach activities each year, and you are all invited to attend some or all of the festivities.
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October 11:

darling dvd Join us at 7 PM on Friday, October 11 at the Palmetto Electric Coop in Bluffton, SC as documentary film maker Sam Koltinsky presents the very first local screening of his award-winning documentary "America's Darling - The Story of Jay N. 'Ding' Darling".  The film follows the life and accomplishments of Jay N. "Ding" Darling, a conservationist and Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist who served as head of the US Biological Survey (the forerunner of FWS).  He also conceived of the idea of the Federal Duck Stamp program and drew the very first Duck Stamp issued.  To memorialize his contributions, a very popular NWR in Sanibel, Florida named in his honor.

Sam will share with us his collection of Darling memorabilia and will be available for questions.  DVD's of the film will be available for sale.   

There is no charge for the showing, but seating is limited, so please register to save your seat.  As of September 14 we have 34 registrations (our capacity is 125).

For more information, click on the links below: 
MAP
DIRECTOR'S WEB SITE
J.N.DING DARLING NWR

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October 12:

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Spend your Refuge Week Saturday exploring Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge. Activities  are scheduled from 9AM thru 2 PM (gate opens at 8am) and include: guided naturalist hikes; bird banding demonstrations; bird observation hikes; photography workshops; wagon rides; a camp fire; and more. Some of the activities will require reservations.  Please call FWS at 843-784-2468 between 8AM and 4 PM Mon-Fri for a list of activities or visit their web site (see below).

Our special guest on this special day will be Joe Wiegand, appearing as Theodore Roosevelt, our 26th President.  Joe has taken his show all over the nation, including to the White House.  "TR" is considered to be the father of the National Wildlife Refuge System, and we are proud to have him join us for the third consecutive year to share the story of his life and accomplishments.  Joe's performance as TR is not to be missed!

The Friends will be providing free hot dogs and drinks (while they last), but feel free to bring your own refreshments, as well as bikes, binoculars cameras, insect repellent, etc..

For this day only the Refuge will be open to auto traffic, allowing unprecedented access to the maintenance area, which will serve as the nerve center for the day's activities.  PARKING WILL BE LIMITED AND VEHICLE ENTRANCE MAY BE HALTED WHEN THE LOT IS FULL!  PLEASE CONSIDER CAR-POOLING!

For more information, click on the links below: 
MAP
JOE WIEGAND (TR)
SAVANNAH NWR WEB SITE
FWS PRESS RELEASE
2013 REFUGE WEEK FLYER

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October 13:
TR_Cruise
Once again in celebration of Refuge Week we have partnered with USFWS and Savannah Riverboat Cruises (SRC) for a narrated tour up the Savannah River into the Savannah NWR.  FWS staff and "TR" will provide commentary along the way.

Boarding for the cruise will begin at 12:30 PM on Sunday on Rousakis Plaza in downtown Savannah, and we should be back at the dock by 4:00 PM.  We sail rain or shine!

This cruise was a big hit the last two years and is not to be missed!  Riverboat tours normally stop at the Houlihan Bridge in Port Wentworth.  For this special cruise, however, the bridge opens and we sail into the heart of the Refuge, soon out of site of the working port.

SRC has supplied us with a limited number of complimentary tickets for Friends group members which will be available free of charge while they last.  These tickets do not include the Buffet Lunch, which can be purchased separately from SRC on the day we sail. 

Each Individual Friends member may reserve one free ticket in advance.  Members at the Family membership level or higher may reserve up to 2 free tickets.  Members may also purchase additional discounted tickets at $15 each to a maximum of 4 tickets total per membership.  Not sure if your membership is current (or will be on October 13)?  E-mail webmaster@coastalrefuges.org to find out your membership status.  Not a member yet?  Click on the link below to go to our website where you can join up.

Call 843-784-2468 between 9 AM and 4 PM Monday thru Friday to reserve your tickets.  Deadline for reserving complimentary Friends tickets is Friday, October 11.

Tickets are also available directly from SRC for adults at $26.95 (or $46.95 with Buffet) and $16.95 ($25.95 with Buffet) for children 3-12 years old.  Call 912-232-6404 or check out their website.

SAVANNAH RIVER CRUISE WEB SITE
FRIENDS WEB SITE NEW MEMBER SIGN UP PAGE
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A Reminder:
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Don't forget to get your entries in for our Second Annual Friends Photo Contest!  Deadline for us to receive your entries is October 1, 2013.  The winners will be announced during the Pinckney Island activities on Saturday, October 12.



















CONTEST FLYER
CONTEST RULES AND ENTRY FORM
Thanks again to all Friends members and supporters and to the FWS staff and volunteers who make our activities possible.

Rick Shields, President
Friends of the Savannah Coastal Wildlife Refuges