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Watch the Ospreys Hatch! |  |
The Osprey Cam at Ocean's Reach Condos, in partnership with "Ding" Darling, is focused now on mama osprey hatching three eggs. Have a look and monitor the progress!
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Scholarship Deadline
March 31
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Applications for the 2013 "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Scholarships for Environmental Studies is March 31, 2013. This year $$$ in scholarship funds are available to students entering or attending a post-secondary school in the field of biology, conservation, or the environment. Click here for more information and a printable application form.
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How to Read a Beach Lecture
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The beaches along Florida's Gulf of Mexico are an open book. Its title? How To Read a Florida Gulf Beach: A Guide to Shadow Dunes, Ghost Forests, and Other Telltale clues from an Ever-Changing Coast. The author, Tonya Clayton, will present a special beach-science program in the "Ding" Darling Education Center on Friday, March 8, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sponsored by the Shell Point Retirement Community.
Her dynamic tour begins with a broad description of Florida's Coast, roaming from Perdido Key in the northwest near Pensacola to remote Cape Sable in the south. A freelance science writer and editor, READ MORE
Sceince writer and editor Tonya Clayton
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Refuge Nature Store Spotlight |  |
Wear recycled
Have you checked out our Recycled Jewelry rack lately? We're always adding new, fashionable, earth-friendly products. There's definitely nothing "canned" about these fresh uses of recycled aluminum cans. Our Green Tree Jewelry is made in the USA in a variety of wildlife shapes out of sustainable and recycled materials.
 Stop in to check out our selection or email or call (239-472-1100 ext. 241). Remember, all proceeds from Refuge Nature Store purchases benefit Refuge wildlife.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
January - April 2013
Lecture Series sponsored by Shell Point Retirement Community
January - April 2013
Film Series sponsored by The Sanctuary Golf Club
May 3, 4, 2013
"Ding" Darling Doc Ford's Tarpon Tournament!
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Preservation Campaign Passes $1,000,000 ! | |
 Campaign Chair Jim Sprankle and DDWS President John McCabe "raise the temperature" on the Preservation Campaign chart to the $1,010,000 mark to reflect current fundraising efforts. DDWS still has a way to go and must raise another $790,000 to reach their goal. Click here for complete information about this campaign to raise funds for the historic Woodring Point property and make Education Center improvements. Or email or call Birgie Vertesch at 239-292-0566. |
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Sea Turtle Education |
 | | Ranger Becky Wolff, Refuge Education Specialist, uses materials funded by the grant to educate students and adults. |
A grant for $18,350 from the Sea Turtle Conservancy has made it possible for the Refuge to acquire valuable educational materials to teach children and island visitors of all ages about protecting endangered sea turtles that nest on Sanibel and Captiva islands. Sea Turtle Conservancy grants are supported by the sales of Florida's sea turtle specialty license plates.
Life-sized sea turtle replicas and a cross-section of a loggerhead sea turtle nest allow school classes that visit the Refuge an opportunity for hands-on familiarity with the species, with the intention of triggering a spirit of protectionism and stewardship. Grant monies also helped Refuge staff design and purchase sea turtle activity booklets for children of all ages and an informational brochure to be used during nesting season at beach front hotels/resorts. You can pick up your brochure and activity book from the "Ding" Darling Education Center front desk or access them by clicking here. |
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Jeremy Clothier and Sarah Heath |
The Refuge welcomed two new education interns in February for a six-month stint. DDWS provides support for the Refuge Intern Program.
"It not only fulfills our mission to educate a new generation of wildlife stewards, but provides valuable manpower to assist the refuge's overworked staff," said DDWS Executive Director Birgie Vertesch.
Jeremy Clothier,
a 2012 graduate from Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville with a degree in environmental biology, checked in on February 12, 2013. Prior to "Ding" Darling, he also interned at the Fripp Island Resort Nature Center in South Carolina. "So far I really enjoy 'Ding," said Jeremy. "It's a wonderful place for birding, and it has an exceptional visitor center filled with wonderful staff and volunteers."
Sarah Heath arrived on February 20, from Durango, Colorado. Since she graduated from the University of Wyoming with a bachelor's degree in wildlife and fisheries biology and management and a minor in philosophy, she has worked with the Polar Bear International's Citizen Science project in Churchill, Manitoba; in education at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming; and the Colorado Division of Wildlife, inspecting boats for invasive mussel species. "This place is beautiful and quite warm -- I left snow behind at home," said Sarah. "There's a ton of things going on at any one time, and I'm just hoping I can keep up. Fortunately, everyone who works here has been so friendly and helpful."
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Wells Fargo Pitches In
|  Volunteers from Wells Fargo last week pitched in with Ranger Toni Westland and Operation Scissors leader Doris Hardy to remove monofilament line from trees in the Refuge. "My team and I had a fantastic time with the work project, we learned lots about the....refuge and its inhabitant animals!" wrote volunteer. |
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"New" Intern Housing nears completion |
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Deputy Refuge Manager Joyce Palmer oversees construction inside a double-wide trailer donated by Lee County Mosquito Control District which was formerly used as an office building. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society is financing the conversion of office spaces into living quarters for up to four interns |
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Construction is well under way and completion of the new intern housing building is expected by April 1, 2013, for new arrivals. |
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Furthering tarpon awareness |
Termed a "catch, release, and care" tournament, the second annual "Ding" Darling & Doc Ford's Tarpon Tournament on May 4, 2013, forgoes harmful weigh-ins, which require bringing the fish back to the starting point, by declaring winners from photos taken
 on-board and with lie detector/truth verification tests.
Moreover, judges assign bonus points to fishermen who perform a DNA swab test on their catches. As part of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)'s Tarpon Genetic Recapture Study, the swab sampling helps scientists track tarpon and educate the public. Finally, proceeds from the tournament directly benefit wildlife at "Ding" Darling Refuge.
More good news for participants: 100% of the entry fee is awarded in prize monies to the team that catch the most tarpon. To become a tournament sponsor or participant, please click here or contact Birgie Vertesch by email or 239-292-0566.
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Wildlife Sightings Week ending February 26, 2013 | |
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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,
"Ding" On the Wing composed by Chelle Walton
Assisted by interns Karen Lopresti and Jess Shelton |
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