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New Website for “Ding” Darling

new website for Ding Darling

Check out the new website for “Ding” Darling!

Whether you are viewing it from a full desktop screen, tablet, or smart phone, the newly debuted web site for the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge (DDWS) will react to your device with imagery that pops and navigation that gets you immediately to the information you need.

“We’ve given it a test spin and let our board,  » Read more

An Ocean’s Reach Girlfriend Getaway

Ocean's Reach girlfriends 1

Ocean's Reach girlfriends 2

Ocean's Reach girlfriends 3

A few of our very favorite Ocean’s Reach girlfriends had the time of their lives this summer down in the British Virgin Islands.

Our bookkeeper, Sue, and former front desk greeter, Annette, joined new owner Linda R. and her family for a sailing trip they won’t soon forget.

Comprised of four main islands — Jost Van Dyke,  » Read more

Approaching Beauty

stormy Sanibel afternoon

Uniquely beautiful and ominous, this stunning view of an approaching Sanibel storm mesmerizes our guest and photographer, Nicole M. Safely tucked inside her screened lanai, the only being seemingly oblivious to the darkened surroundings is a lone sea gull.

Threatening storms may materialize toward the end of a summer afternoon bringing short, swift showers to refresh our botanicals. At other times, the darkened skies are purely a source of beauty and captivation!  » Read more

Major Renovation Underway at the Sanctuary

The Sanctuary Golf Club demo
Demolition of the tennis center at The Sanctuary; photo courtesy of The Sanctuary Golf Club.

The Sanctuary Golf Club began refreshing, renovating and rejuvenating the facilities in the late spring.

The club’s members enthusiastically agreed to redecorate the clubhouse, transform the outside dining venue, and build a 5,000-square-foot state-of-the-art fitness and wellness facility, the latter of which will include a 1,800-square-foot fitness equipment room, a 900-square-foot group exercise room,  » Read more

A Very Special Symphony Performance

Noah Waddell 1

Noah Waddell 2

The Southwest Florida Symphony will perform All About Music at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center on Friday, August 26 at 8 p.m., featuring a special appearance by local teen piano celebrity Noah Waddell.

Noah has performed at concert halls, performing arts centers and churches. Noah’s “Concert for the Kids” at BIG ARTS on Sanibel raised more than $30,000 for the new Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.  » Read more

Reeling in the Fun

Sanibel summer

Kids in the Sanibel Recreation Center’s summer camp program just reel in the fun!

Hosted by members of the Sanibel-Captiva Optimist Club, more than two dozen “Junior Anglers” spent the seven weeks of summer break traveling to different fishing locations around the island, including Tarpon Bay Explorers, Blind Pass, the JN “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge and the Causeway Islands. They also took a cruise aboard an Adventures in Paradise vessel,  » Read more

One Gigantic Slip-and-Slide!

Slip-and-Slide!

Anyone who’s ever driven over Fort Myers’ Edison Bridge in the rain and wondered if it would make a fun water slide will have a chance to test the theory on Saturday, Sept. 17.

That’s when a promotional company known as Slide the City will take over the bridge spanning the Caloosahatchee River and roll out a 900-foot padded water slide. Yep, that’s one gigantic water slide!

Slide the City is a family-friendly slip-and-slide event.  » Read more

Hashtag Bird Year!

Ding Darling Days

‘Ding’ Days celebrates 2016 Migratory Bird Treaty Centennial #birdyear

In addition to celebrating Jay N. “Ding” Darling’s 140th birthday and National Wildlife Refuge Week, this year’s “Ding” Darling Days, Oct. 16-22, celebrates the centennial of the convention between the United States and Great Britain (representing Canada) for the protection of migratory birds. Also called the Migratory Bird Treaty, it was signed on Aug. 16, 1916.

The 27th annual “Ding” Days at J.N.  » Read more

Score Junonia!

junonia with shelling brothers

The shelling brothers return!

These energetic siblings from Dexter, MI, have been turning over shells in the sand for eight years at Ocean’s Reach and this week hit the jackpot. Following one of our dramatic summer thunderstorms, the two set out for a shell hunt. They looked down and made quite a find — a junonia!

The junonia is a deep-water species commonly found in 60 to 120 feet of water.    » Read more

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