"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society Newsletter
September 18, 2014
In This Issue
National Public Lands Day
"Ding" Cartoon
Thursday Trivia
Wildlife Sightings
Wildlife Sleuths
E Award Nominees
Upcoming Events
'Ding' Days Sponsors
Quick Links

The Refuge will celebrate National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 27, 2014, with a re-think/recycle craft, hiking, a film, and other free activities.  Admission to Wildlife Drive is free
for everyone all day, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  The day's special events begin at 10 a.m. with a guided hike along Indigo Trail to the Wildlife Education Boardwalk, where visitors can

Take a guided walk to the boardwalk and learn more about tracks and scat. . . see video below 

The Scoop on Poop: A Poem
The Scoop on Poop
 
Wilderness Day at Tarpon Bay Explorers
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act on September 3, Tarpon Bay Explorers (TBE) led a free kayak paddle through the Refuge's designated wilderness at Lady Finger Lake, located in the Refuge's NE corner.  TBE's veteran naturalist, Brieanna Coffman, led the paddle, noting: 
"Normally, kayaks provided by TBE are not allowed to enter Lady Finger Lake.  So, to explore a designated wilderness area via kayak with conservation-minded people was an amazing experience." 


 Cartoon
In honor of National Public Lands Day, we bring you this 1909 Jay  Norwood "Ding" Darling cartoon titled "Spare the rod and spoil the conservation policy."  You need not know the politics of the day to understand the implications of the cartoon. 
Click on the cartoon to see it enlarged.
"Ding" is remembered for his insightful Pulitzer Prize- winning cartoons in the Des Moines Register.  They continue to carry relevance more than 100 years later.

Our last Thursday Trivia question stumped everyone! The answer to last week's Trivia was a tarpon.

Answer this trivia question from our Discover Ding game app (download available October 19).
Email the correct answer first and win a gift from the Refuge Nature Store.  The correct answer and winner will be posted in the next "Ding" on the Wing.              
Question:  Although we're completely unrelated, I am sometimes called a water turkey. What am I?
Wildlife Sightings
Thanks to Al Hoffacker for this stunning close-up of an osprey.  Al's work is currently on display in the Visitor & Education Center Auditorium from September through October.  Come meet and greet the wildlife phot0grapher on Tuesday, October 14, from 1 to 3 p.m.
 

     Tides
 
'Ding' Days App Premiere
The Refuge will host a public unveiling and 
"download-in" of its
Discover
 Ding Game App to kick off "Ding" Darling Days' Family Fun Days and    week long eco-festival.  The unveiling takes place at 10 a.m. on Sunday, October 19, in the Visitor & Education Center Auditorium.  The first 250 guests to show staff their download get a special free T-shirt (one T-shirt per smartphone).  Make sure you know your app store password.  "Happy Appy" will be on hand throughout the day to give free tutorials on downloading and READ MORE
Wildlife Sleuths Video
The first in a series of short, fun, and educational "Ding" Darling videos has gone live on YouTube this week.  Wildlife Sleuths follows Ranger Becky Wolff as she leads students on a mission to find clues to what species of wildlife has preceded their hike at the Refuge.
"Ding" Darling's, Wildlife Sleuths - Episode 1
Thanks to Mark Meyers of Trademarky Films for donating the filming and producing of the video as a prototype for future videos we hope to create.  DDWS is seeking donations for more videos on different topics, which we will show in the Visitor & Education Center, community outreach and elsewhere.  Each video requires a $5,000 donation.  Donors will receive credit within the video.  Please contact DDWS Executive Director, Birgie Miller (239-292-0566) for more details.

"In the end, we conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught."
 

- Baba Dioum, Senegalese poet

 

Sea Monsters Increased Visitors
A group of day campers from Harlem Heights check out the exhibit.
It will be remembered as the summer of Sea Monsters. Thanks to grants from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation and a private family foundation, DDWS was able to bring the Sea Monsters hands-on exhibit from Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota from June 1 through August 18.  
The grant also provided transportation to day camps and other groups that would have otherwise been unable to afford a trip to the Refuge.  Nearly 1,000 school children from

underprivileged areas in Lee County visited the exhibit and Refuge thanks to grant monies.  The exhibit also helped boost visitation numbers to the Visitor & Education Center during June, July, and August by nearly 90% giving local families and tourists a new and unique summer experience at the Refuge.  

 

 

Congrats E Award Nominees
Twenty-one staff, interns, and volunteers from the Refuge, DDWS, and Tarpon Bay Explorers (TBE) received nominations for the 2014 E Awards for service above and beyond.  The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau hosts the awards for outstanding hospitality service.

Our nominees included DDWS' Davis Horton and Birgie Miller; the Refuge's Tom Guertin, Marge Keller, Jim Scott, Helen Taylor, Jack Waszmer, Arthur Williams, and Bill Zack; and TBE's Patricia Clark, Brieanna Coffman, Lewis Irvine, Dave Johns, Margie Klein, Steven Maddix, Wendy Rex, Adam Sauerland, Wendy Schnapp, Donna Yetsko, Steve Yetsko, and Julie Zugelder.  


 
We appreciate our staff, volunteers and friends who care passionately about the Refuge and the wildlife who depend on it for survival, working daily to educate visitors about the importance of conservation. 

Upcoming Events
Click here for a full calendar of events and programs.

National Public Lands Day - September 27, 2014
Society Annual Meeting - December 3, 2014
Friday Lecture Series - January 9-April 10, 2015. 
Sponsor:  The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company
Wednesday Bi-Weekly Film Series - January 7-April 15, 2015
February 17, 2015 - 3rd Annual Trailgate Party: Dinner & Puffins a la Maine 
Birding Tram Tour with Don & Lillian Stokes - February 20, 2015.  Reservations required . . filling fast. . . 
Earth Day at the Refuge - April 18, 2015
May 9, 2015 - Fourth Annual "Ding" Darling & Doc Ford's Tarpon Tournament 
'Ding' Days Sponsors
Thanks to our generous sponsors who make "Ding" Darling Days happen this year.
ROSEATE SPOONBILL

 GREAT EGRET

GREAT BLUE HERON
REDDISH EGRET
SNOWY EGRET
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 Walton
Designed by Sarah Lathrop and Kasey Robb