by SC Reporter Reese Holiday
The J.N “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge has planned a celebration of its 75th anniversary and its efforts in protecting the island’s wildlife. Mayor Kevin Ruane, on behalf of the City Council, presented a proclamation during the council’s Tuesday, Nov. 3 meeting in honor of the refuge’s major milestone.
According to the “Ding” Darling Society website, the refuge was originally created in 1945 by conservationist and Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist, Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling. Originally named the Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge, Darling wanted to create a preserved area to protect the wildlife on Sanibel. When Darling died in 1967, the refuge was named after the beloved conservationist and still preserves the natural lands of Sanibel today.
Seventy-five years later, the refuge is celebrating its long-lasting success Dec. 1 with a free, outdoor experience featuring a scavenger hunt, hiking and biking trails, prizes and guest speakers from all over Sanibel. Due to the global pandemic, however, the event will feature social-distancing guidelines in order to keep everyone safe.
“We’re taking lots of precautions,” said Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland. “With the government, there’s lots of different forms we need to fill out just to make sure that we are thinking of everything and keeping everyone safe.”
Westland noted that there were a lot of hoops to jump through in order to make the event safe for both the staff and the public. However, with the anniversary being such a big accomplishment for the refuge, and for Sanibel as a whole, Westland knew that a celebration needed to be had.
“You really have to rethink, ‘Wait a second, we can do this festival,’” Westland said. “How could we not celebrate the 75th anniversary of the refuge?”
Now, with the anniversary event set in motion, and the refuge’s staff working hard to execute the planned activities, Westland believes that the celebration should not only commemorate the accomplishments of the refuge, but also bring the event’s guests closer to nature.
“The one great thing that I hope we can get out to everyone is that nature is outdoors, it’s a great way to social distance, it’s a great way to get a peace of mind,” Westland said. “All I’ve been saying this whole time is this is the time, I hope, that people can reconnect with nature.”
The free, main event, with a scavenger hunt and guest speakers, will be held at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 1. Afterwards, the celebration will continue off of the refuge with a drive-in style theater experience featuring live music and a program served with a side of delivered food right to the car window.
While the celebration on the refuge will be free to everyone, the drive-in theater gala requires registration and the purchase of a ticket, which can be found at the “Ding” Darling Society website.
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