Look How DDWS Puts Donations To Work for Wildlife & Conservation Education
- Helps the Refuge with land acquistions
- Funds a full-time position for a Conservation Educator
- Raised funding and facilitated the educational and artistic #LearningLav restroom exhibits project
- Coordinated the granted Perry Tract Kiosk at Sanibel's Gulfside City Park
- Spearheaded SanCap Solar Connect - an initiative to lower rates for solar energy conversion on the islands
- Funded development of the first-of-its-kind Discover Ding game app
- Supports Reddish Egret and Sanibel Rice Rat research plus water quality and other wildlife studies
- Advocates for clean water legislation at a local and national level and refuge system government funding at a national level
- Made significant Visitor & Education Center improvements (including a handicapped lift) in 2015
- Supported Mangrove Cuckoo research
- Funded an interactive sea turtle exhibit 2014
- Raised $1.4 million in 2013 for the Woodring Point land acquisition.
- Raised funds for new exhibits and trail projects, which in 2012-2013 included the Wildlife Education Boardwalk, Living Dinosaurs, Duck Decoy Art, and Marvelous Manatees exhibits in the Visitor & Education Center
- Supported the iNature Trail, Calusa Shell Mound Trail improvements, the reopening of Buck Key Paddling Trail, and other recent trail projects
- Financially assisted with post-hurricane efforts to clean up Sanibel, Captiva, and the Refuge after Hurricane Charley in 2004
- Assisted Refuge with plans and construction of a disabled-accessible observation tower and remote video camera on Wildlife Drive
- Spearheaded and financed the new $3.3-million Education Center and exhibits
- Built the education pavilion on the Cross Dike Trail
- Financially supports environmental education staff and the internship program
- Operates the Refuge Nature Store and hosts annual free author lecture and film series
- Organizes and funds the annual “Ding” Darling Days for environmental education and “Ding” Darling & Doc Ford’s Tarpon Tournament to promote responsible fishing ethics
- Distributes $5,000 each year in conservation teacher grants to Lee County Schools
- Awards conservation education scholarships annually to students in a five-county area pursuing college degrees in biology-related fields
- Provides the Refuge Manager a discretionary fund for emergency use
- Provides field trip busing for district students
- Supplies conservation education materials to area teachers
- Provides informational materials for Refuge visitors
- Provides and maintains interpretative signage and outdoor kiosk displays
- Supports studies including bird surveys, control burn monitoring, and water sampling
- Contributes tens of thousands of dollars each year for special Refuge projects
- Maintains an informational Web site at dingdarlingsociety.org
- Funds research projects
- Represents the refuge system and its budget needs at a national political level