Ding Darling Wildlife Society

Founded in 1945, the j.n. "Ding" Darling national Wildlife refuge consists of nearly 8,000 acres of some of the most unique and ecologically important ecosystems in the world. Budgets continue to decrease, and federal funding does not cover all the needs of this very populated refuge. As a result, the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society - friends of the refuge (ddws) provides financial support where federal funding falls short. Every year, the visitation to the refuge increases and nearly one million visitors explore these public lands. For nearly than 40 years, the ddws has supported the refuge in areas of education, land acquisition, interpretive signage and exhibits, habitat management, biological studies, water research, and much more. Our annual report celebrates what philanthropy made possible in 2021-2022. The philanthropic support we receive from foundations, businesses, corporations, and individuals made it possible to accomplish our mission- critical work and some of it is listed below: "we continued our work within our off-island communities to bring the refuge and conservation messaging to underserved schools and neighborhoods. Through the wow (Wildlife on wheels), we expanded our outreach efforts thanks to our partnership with the lee county school district. This year, we educated more than 11,000 students and families. "the ddws hired the suzanne dubuc urban outreach coordinator (maria santiago) to continue her work in expanding community partnerships with "Ding" Darling. Her work shows how conservation and community needs are intersectional, and how we can all work together in building a stronger community. "we saw 6 new permanent endowments established that supported an array of areas from biology and interns to volunteers and community outreach. These endowments have been instrumental in allowing the ddws to plan, knowing how much we have in permanent endowments and working off the investments. "the ddws and lee county school district worked effectively together this year in bringing school kids by bus to the refuge for onsite field trips -- something that could not happen the year prior due to the pandemic. While covid-19 protocols were still in place, these field trips were invaluable to instill the love of nature and passion for protecting our wild spaces in our young generation. This partnership continues into this fiscal year with amazing impacts. It truly shows the power of partnership and collaboration. "safe, in-person events proved a long-awaited success after the previous year of virtual and cancelled gatherings. The ddws' annual fundraiser, go wild for "Ding," paid homage to ddws' 40th anniversary with the year of the anhinga theme. The ddws brought back project refuge: a couture fashion show using trash as a special event. More than 20 artists created outfits of recycled materials that then went on display at the visitor center and in a special exhibition at shell point retirement community's tribby arts center in fort myers. "the Society paid for and supported 12 interns this last fiscal year to help the refuge accomplish its conservation goals. This included two fluent spanish-speaking interns as part of the wow educational outreach program. "the nature store 2 on periwinkle had another successful year. This store reaches a different group of island visitors who do not typically make it up the island to visit the refuge. 100% of the profits from all three stores (refuge flagship location, shopdingdarling.com, and nature store 2) goes to support the conservation work at the refuge. "we continued to support the refuge with community outreach and environmental education. Ddws paid for costs associated with the design and printing of maps, informational brochures, interpretive materials, and educational supplies. "as the tenure of our second artist in residence, rachel pierce, ended, we welcomed our third artist in residence, miami artist jacqui roch. Jacqueline led several art programs at the refuge, around the island, and at multiple local schools and community centers. It proved to be another successful year of programming. "we brought renowned speakers for our lecture series and supported a small virtual film series. "our tarpon tournament celebrated its 10th year of fishing. In those 10 years, more than 1 million has been raised to support the conservation and water quality work at the refuge. Thanks to doc ford's rum bar and grille and all the sponsors for making it the best conservation tournament in the area. "we continued to fund a biological technician for the refuge to help with Wildlife and water quality work and research. "we continue our strong relationships with our conservation partners to advocate for the water quality that impacts the refuge so greatly. We are grateful to say that these efforts have been getting attention. "land acquisition efforts continued with the successful purchase of 8.5 acres on sanibel. This unique property is adjacent to the refuge and contains a large lake, which feeds directly into tarpon bay. "this year, the refuge and ddws broke ground on the latest refuge educational facility, the roost. The roost will welcome visitors to an outdoor flex space for a broad spectrum of educational purposes. Partial construction was destroyed by hurricane ian, but we will be starting the rebuilding process shortly.