If you Google “Ding Darling” one of the first pages that pops up is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and here is what it has to say: “The J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is located on the subtropical barrier island of Sanibel in the Gulf of Mexico. The refuge is part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States. It is world famous for its spectacular migratory bird populations.”
Which would lead to who is this Ding Darling guy and how did he come to have a wildlife refuge named after him? And I will tell you the answer, but first I have to mention that on Valentine’s Day I went on a class trip with two of my grandkids to the refuge with the very Valentine-y name of Ding Darling.
Ding Darling was a hunter and he particularly liked to hunt and shoot birds. It occurred to him that at the rate humans were killing off the animals, very soon we would lose the natural beauty around us. As a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, Ding used his talent and his platform to push for wildlife conservation. And he was hugely successful. You can read about him here.
And the first thing that our guide, Ranger Becky, told us is something I will never forget: Parks are for people. Refuges are for animals. So when you visit a refuge, you are a guest.
Terrie