Celebrate Seven Days of ‘Ding’ during ‘Ding’ Darling Days at the Refuge

By SHANNEN HAYES (shayes@breezenewspapers.com) , Island Reporter, Captiva Current, Sanibel-Captiva Islander

Technology in the Outdoors Day, mascot meet-and-greets, a film festival, Celebrate Calusa Day and author lectures will add excitement to this year's "Ding" Darling Days at J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

The 22nd annual event kicks off Sunday, Oct. 16 with Family Fun Day, where three refuge characters the Blue Goose, Bagzilla and Teddy Roosevelt will get the party started and greet families for photo opportunities beginning at 11 a.m. Anticipate a surprise appearance from a fourth well-loved character.

Sunday's highlights include free narrated Tarpon Bay Explorers tram tours of the refuge; live snake, bat and bald eagle presentations; and face painting, nature crafts, a butterfly house and touch tank demonstrations. The refuge and "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge have planned this day of family fun jam-packed with activities for all ages at no charge.

"We estimate the value of this free event to be around $72 per child," noted "Ding" Days committee co-chair Ranger Toni Westland. "But the value of family and nature bonding is priceless."

Inspired by "Ding" Darling Refuge's new iNature Trail along Wildlife Drive, the weeklong "Ding" Darling Days will debut Technology in the Outdoors on Monday, Oct. 17 a day off for public school children.

Special tours and demonstrations will introduce visitors to the 10-station iNature Trail, where smartphones and tablets are used to scan the QR codes and connect with interactive YouTube videos for a free ranger-narrated tour.

Other demonstrations combining gadgets with nature include GPS-based Earth caching at the refuge and the education center's eBird Trail Tracker computer, where guests can identify birds and their songs and enter their refuge sightings. Throughout the day, visitors can watch short films featuring seven of the 550-plus refuges worldwide. Films begin every hour on the hour starting at 9 a.m. in the auditorium of the Eduction Center.

The new Celebrate Calusa Day on Wednesday, Oct. 19 will feature a Calusa Quest presentation by a team from "Ding" Darling, the Mound House on Fort Myers Beach and the Randell Research Center on Pine Island. A tour of the refuge's newly renovated Calusa Shell Mound Trail, guided by Calusa experts Ann and Bill Wollschlager, will follow the presentation.

'Ding" Days will also host two author lectures, new this year. Island historian Charles LeBuff will host a lecture and sign copies of his latest book "Images of America: J.N. 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge," as part of Refuge Discovery Day. This free lecture will be from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20 in auditorium of the Education Center.

In addition, refuge staff will introduce a part of the refuge most people don't know about its beach side at Perry Tract. At 9 a.m., refuge ranger will lead a narrated beach walk from Gulfside Park, which is adjacent to the refuge tract. The beach walk is free, but there is a $2 per hour city parking fee at Gulfside Park.

Throughout Discovery Day, visitors can join a narrated Refuge Birding Tour Caravan along Wildlife Drive for $5 per vehicle, plus receive discounted kayaking tours and sea life cruises from Tarpon Bay recreation area.

To finish off the seven days of "Ding," a Duck Stamp Artists presentation once again headlines Saturday's Conservation Art Day, which also includes a photography tram tour and nature art activities with free nature journals and art supplies.
"Ding" Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge sponsors "Ding" Darling Days with support from Tarpon Bay Explorers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other private and business partners.

"We use no government funding because of our amazing partnerships," said Westland. "We couldn't do it without the Friends group and the community's support."

For a full "Ding" Darling Days schedule, visit www.dingdarlingdays.com or call 472-1100.

Board Launches $3.5 Million Community House Campaign

Marge Meek, president of the

Sanibel Community Association,

has announced the launch of a

$3.5 million capital campaign to preserve,

renovate and modernize The

Community House.

“Terry Igo, the president of the Sanibel

Captiva Trust Company and past SCA

board member, has enthusiastically

accepted the position as chairperson for

the campaign. Already he has enlisted the

help of over 75 islanders to move this fundraising

phase into high gear,” Meek said.

“The Community House embodies the

spirit of Sanibel and the broad range of

people volunteering to help this campaign

reinforces how islanders come together for

a cause.”

“The Community House is a historical

gem and this campaign, by thoroughly

upgrading the building and grounds, will

restore it to the center of community life,”

said Igo. “It is our largest gathering place

on the islands and it’s very important that

it fully serve today’s residents and visitors.

In choosing a campaign logo that simply

states 1927 Capital Campaign, we honor

our long-standing place in the community

while reaffirming our ongoing commitment

to providing for the current and

future needs of our islands.”

The Community House was built in

1927 on donated land and by the islanders,

who worked side by side to construct

the building and turn it into their social

gathering place. Over the decades generations

of islanders have met there for every

conceivable civic, educational and social

event, including its signature Shell Fair and

Show that has attracted shell enthusiasts

from around the world for 75 years. The

passage of time, however, has taken its

toll on the original historic building and its

two additions.

“Since the 1990s there have been a

series of plans drawn up to rebuild The

Community House, but now our time has

come,” said Meek. “For over three years

the board has developed the strategy, the

vision, the passion, which have culminated

in the current schematic plans. We

thought of only one person to run the

capital campaign and we are delighted

Terry accepted the position. He has a

proven success record of leading capital

campaigns, including one for The Sanibel

School, and is the right person to get

people engaged and united for our common

goal.”

There will be a series of social events

held through the fall and winter to promote

the campaign and get islanders’

input. A kick-off party on November 9

will feature a dinner and homespun stories

by honorary co-chairs Francis Bailey

and Porter Goss and other islanders. It

will be an evening to celebrate what The

Community House has meant to this community

and what the future holds.

The architectural site plan and artistic

rendering of the grounds are on display

in the lobby as well as on www.sanibelcommunityhouse.

net and in a soon-to-be

released brochure

Sea Turtle Update

Sea Turtle Research and Monitoring

	Sea Turtle Nesting Stats As of August 26, 2011
		Nests	False Crawls	Hatches
	Sanibel East End	35	84	19
	Sanibel West End	239* **	361	120* **
	Captiva	76	54	47
	TOTAL	350	499	186

Click here for PDF with statistics for the nests that have hatched this year on Sanibel (Captiva numbers will not be available until the end of nesting season).

Most nests on the islands are Loggerhead. However, this year we have one Kemps Ridley** and five Greens * included in the totals above. Read about the Kemp's Ridley.

Please do not disturb nesting sea turtles. There have been reports of several nesting attempts disturbed by onlookers. If a turtle fails after several nesting attempts, she will eject her eggs into the Gulf, so failed attempts -- false crawls -- are serious.
Click here for more info.

Taste of the Islands

On Tuesday, the Clinic for the Rehabilitation Of Wildlife (CROW) announced that the 30th annual Taste of the Islands will be held on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011 at Sanibel Community Park on Periwinkle Way. This event has become a traditional and much-anticipated part of the islands’ fall calendar.

For the second consecutive year, Bank of the Islands/Edison National Bank will be the Presenting Sponsor for this gala tasting of Sanibel and Captiva restaurants’ finest creations.

Renowned artist Ikki Matsumoto has again provided his unique creativity in designing a logo for this year’s Taste. The logo shows a feast presented and enjoyed by local wildlife, reflecting CROW’s mission of saving wildlife through compassion, care and education, as well as the enjoyable traditions of the Taste of the Islands.

CROW is presently organizing sponsors and participating restaurants. More information is available by e-mailinginfo@crowclinic.org or by calling 472-3644.

Housing affordability hovers near record level

August 22, 2011 – Aug. 22, 2011 – Nationwide housing affordability during the second quarter of 2011 hovered for the 10th consecutive quarter near its highest level in the more than 20 years, according to National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI).

According to the HOI, families earning the national median income of $64,200 could afford 72.6 percent of all new and existing homes sold in the second quarter. The affordability measure dipped slightly from the record high of 74.6 percent set in the first quarter, but it remained above the 70 percent threshold initially achieved in the first quarter of 2009.

Foreclosure activity falls to 44-month low

Foreclosure activity fell 35% in July compared to last year, hitting a 44-month low, according to foreclosure data firm RealtyTrac. The number of foreclosure filings – which includes default notices, auctions and bank.

Fiserv Case-Shiller Home Price Insights: Despite Recent Declines, Home Prices Expected to Stabilize Across U.S. by Early Next Year

·    Housing affordability back to pre-bubble levels with average homes now only 5 percent more expensive than in 2000

·    Home prices projected to dip further in 2011 and begin modest appreciation in 2012

·    More than 95 percent of all metro areas are projected to rise by Q1 2013