provided to The Santiva Chronicle
Wellness in Nature at “Ding” centers at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island Jan. 18 through 21, for a four-day weekend focusing on the get-outdoors nature cure. It also reaches out into the greater community with activities at Lakes Park and Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Fort Myers.
The event kicks off on Thursday, Jan. 18, with a free naturalist-guided biking at 7:30 a.m. Participants must bring their own bikes and pre-register for this and other Wellness in Nature activities at DingDarling.Eventbrite.com. Later that day, keynote speaker Dr. Sabine Grunwald, University of Florida’s (UF) Soil and Water Sciences Department professor and founder of UF’s Mindfulness Program presents “Unplug to Reconnect: How Less Time on Screens Makes You a Happier Person.” Lectures begin at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and are limited on a first-come basis.
On Friday, Jan. 19, when Wildlife Drive and the “Ding” Darling Visitor & Education Center are closed for weekly maintenance, the wellness team has scheduled a photography workshop at the Bailey Tract and Energy Medicine Walks at Lakes Park and FGCU’s Food Forest.
On Saturday, the event reaches it peaks with a Wellness in Nature Fest including open-air yoga, a live jazz duo, creation stations, ranger-led archery, a Tea Bar, and nature journaling. Sunday brings a birding tram tour and a refuge estuary clean-up (bring your own paddlecraft or join by foot).
“The past two years, the refuge has hosted Wellness in Nature events, which started with unveiling our self-guided Mindfulness Trail at the Bailey Tract, the first of its kind in the nearly 570 national wildlife refuges across the U.S.,” said Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland. “This year, we have reorganized activities into a condensed series whose purpose is to get people outdoors to better their health and well-being.”
Below is a schedule of activities for the four-day weekend. For more information, visit dingwellness.com or call 239-472-1100 ext. 221. To learn how to sponsor Wellness in Nature, contact April Boehnen at AprilB@dingdarlingsociety.org or 440- 452-9083.
Thursday, January 18
• 7:30-9 a.m. Bike the Refuge with a Refuge Naturalist. Sign up on Eventbrite.
• 10-11 a.m. Keynote lecturer Sabine Grunwald, University of Florida’s (UF) Soil and Water Sciences Department professor and founder of UF’s Mindfulness Program: “Unplug to Reconnect: How Less Time on Screens Makes You a Happier Person”
• 1-2 p.m. Keynote lecturer Sabine Grunwald, University of Florida’s (UF) Soil and Water Sciences Department professor and founder of UF’s Mindfulness Program: “Unplug to Reconnect: How Less Time on Screens Makes You a Happier Person”
• 2:30-4 p.m. Tote Bag Painting at The Roost. Sign up on Eventbrite.
Friday, January 19
• 8:30-10 a.m. Energy Medicine Walk at Lakes Park in Fort Myers. Sign up on Eventbrite.
• 9-10 a.m. Nature Photography Workshop at Bailey Tract. Sign up on Eventbrite.
• 5-6:30 p.m. Energy Medicine Walk at FGCU Food Forest in Fort Myers. Sign up on Eventbrite.
Saturday, January 20 Wellness in Nature Fest at the Refuge
• 9-10 a.m. Movement and Meditation at The Roost. Sign up on Eventbrite.
• 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Creation Stations and Archery
• 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Live Cello-Guitar Duo Jazz at The Roost
• 10-11 a.m. Grounding in Nature 101. Sign up on Eventbrite.
• 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Nature Journaling. Sign up on Eventbrite.
Sunday, January 21
• 9 a.m. Peace of Birding Tram Tour. Sign up on Eventbrite.
• 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Wellness for Nature Paddle Clean-up (Refuge estuary clean-up; bring your own paddlecraft or join by foot). Sign up on Eventbrite.
• 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Yoga at The Roost. Sign up on Eventbrite.
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