As we look forward to celebrating the 75th anniversary of the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge next year, we can also look back on the extraordinary career of its namesake.
In addition to his staunch efforts in conservationism, Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling twice won the Pulitzer Prize for his cartoons that appeared in the Des Moines Register in the early 1900s. At one point, his cartoons were syndicated in 130 dailies across the country.
In explaining his cartooning philosophy, he said “Every cartoon should have a little medicine, a little sugar-coating, and as much humor as the subject will bear.”
The cartoon pictured above was about one of Darling’s favorite subjects: ducks. Although an avid sportsman himself, in this cartoon he expressed his concern for the overhunting of ducks, which led to his creation of the Federal Duck Stamp program in 1935.
Entitled “The Way the World Must Look to a Duck” and published on April 15, 1909, the cartoon recognized the need to create legislation and refuge habitat to protect migrating birds.
Considered prophetic in his time about issues that would affect the nation and the world, Darling later laid the foundation – as chief of the precursor to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – for the national wildlife refuge system, which today oversees more than 560 refuges. In 1965, the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, one of Ding’s favorite bird-watching locations, was set aside in his honor.
The Island Reporter is publishing a weekly series of Darling’s cartoons leading up to the refuge’s 75th anniversary celebration next year. To learn more about Darling, his work and legacy, click here.
