Ready, Fire…Aim!

Your cameras, that is…

The Annual “Ding” Darling Days Nature Photography Contest is on and June 1st was the first day that entries could begin being submitted for consideration in winning one of top awards to be given out on Oct. 24th during the “Ding” Darling Days Celebration.  The final day for submissions is at 4pm on September 30th, so you have plenty of time!

All types of nature photos are being accepted.  The more interesting and original, obviously, the better.  But, judges will also be looking for technical expertise and creativity when they choose the winners.

There are no special requirements or age limits, only that the photos are, in actuality, taken by an amateur and not a professional.

We want a fair competition, after all.

You can read all about the submission details and contact information right here at this link for the “Ding” Days Photo Contest.

So, get out there and have fun with this…

Have a great weekend!

p.s.  Believe it or not, we are closing on several properties in these challenging times, head on over to our main site and check things out at SanCap One Source Realty

Hey, did you see the smoke rising up last week over part of our Sanibel Island?

Maybe you knew exactly what it was, maybe you didn’t.

If you’ve lived on Sanibel for more than a couple of years, then you realized that we were witnessing yet another of our perfectly-timed, perfectly-controlled “prescribed burns” on the island by our very own “Sanibel Firewise Task Force”.  This task force is made up of the City of Sanibel, the Sanibel Fire and Rescue District, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Division of the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge and they are focused specifically on the safety and wildland fire issues on Sanibel Island.  You can download and read their press release for last week’s fires here.

A “prescribed burn”, or “controlled fire” as it is sometimes called, is a preventative technique utilized by forestry and wildfire experts to mimic natural fire patterns and prevent conditions that could cause a natural fire to be much worse due to overgrowth and dried vegetation.

Prescribed burns also contol non-native plant species from taking over the island’s natural foliage, as well as the natural habitat for several different animal species.

You can read some very interesting articles about “prescribed burns” at the links that I’ve provided below:

• J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge (page 9)
• The Florida Division of Forestry through the Forest Protection Bureau
• Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation
• FEMA for Kids

If you have any questions, you can contact refuge manager Paul Tritaik, as well, at 239-472-1100 ext 223.

Hope this has cleared up (pun intended) your wondering what all that smoke was about last week!

That’s it for this week, have a good one!

The time of year is upon us when we celebrate our beautiful on-island wildlife paradise, the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge with our 19th Annual Ding Darling Days Festivities!

And this year is extra special because we are celebrating 100 years since 3 small wildlife refuges, the Matlacha Pass, Pine Island and Island Bay refugees, were dedicated by Teddy Roosevelt in 1908.  These 3 refuges were eventually to become part of the Ding Darling Wildlife Reserve.

Starting October 19th, Sunday, the week’s long events will kick off.  This year’s theme is “Let’s Go Outside”, so as to encourage families to get outside and experience nature together.

Tarpon Bay Explorers and Captiva Cruises are joining with the J.N. “Ding” Darling Refuge to provide everyone with a plethora of activities to choose from this year, including kayak rides, bike tours and nature cruises just to name a few.

You can find the entire schedule of events right here at Ding Darling Days.

So, get out there and enjoy this week, hope to see you there!

Until next post,

Robert and Sandy

p.s.  Don’t forget to make your way over to our main website for all of your Sanibel and Captiva Island Real Estate needs.  See you soon!

Animal lover, are you?  Me too!  That’s why this particular post is so close to my heart.

Today, I want to introduce you to an incredible non-profit veterinary hospital right here on Sanibel Island known simply as “C.R.O.W.” (which stands for “Clinic for the Rehabilitation Of Wildlife“).  It is appropriately located on Sanibel-Captiva Road just across from the J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refugee.

Currently, the hospital itself is under major construction and is now closed to the public (although it is definitely still accepting “patients”), but you can certainly stop by the Visitor Center located at 630 Tarpon Bay Road in the Olde Sanibel Shoppes.

CROW treats more than 4000 different animals every year spanning approximately 160 different species.  Whether it’s a bird, an otter, a turtle or even an occassional crocodile, CROW is always there to help get these animals healed and back out into their natural habitat as soon as possible.

C.R.O.W. works purely from the generosity of strangers in maintaining its facilities and staff.  Donations are made every year by those who know of its value to the islands, as well as to conservationism as a whole.  If you feel the urge to donate, you certainly can, just click the link to the C.R.O:W. website (which I have listed above) and they have the information there that you need to do so.

Every little bit helps in preserving our wildlife friends and maintaining the wonderful ecosystem that Sanibel and Captiva Islands enjoy.

Until next week,

Sandy and Robert

p.s.  Why not head on over to our main site at Sanibel and Captiva Island Real Estate and take a peek?  Enjoy!

There are many incredible places to be found on this earth, for sure, but with 220+ different species of beautiful birds, the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on our very own Sanibel Island, has to be unique to its own in all the world. It really is something to behold! Set on 6,400 massive acres of subtropical marshland, this wildlife sanctuary turns 63 years old this year thanks to the pioneering conservation efforts of one man… Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling, who fought to preserve this area and prevented it from being sold to land developers in the early 1940s. It was inaugurated in 1945 when Darling convinced President Harry Truman to sign an Executive Order designating it as a National Wildlife Refuge.

Today, everyone is grateful for his efforts, especially the lovely roseate spoonbills (pictured above), the blue herons, the willets and the sandpipers… (You didn’t think that I would name all 220+ species, did you? ). We are all grateful to have this natural habitat within our own personal environment and to have the opportunity to experience the migratory and nesting patterns of so many unique and interesting creatures. I try so hard not to take it all for granted and tell myself as often as possible that those of us who live on Sanibel and Captiva Islands are truly blessed to be a part of something so special.

Of course, this diverse wildlife refuge houses many other animals as well, but today I wanted to focus on the birds, as many have already begun their trek north for the year and we’ve said our “goodbyes” and “Bon Voyages” to them until we see them again in November and December. Ahhh, the ebb and flow of life… Isn’t is amazing?

And so I trek on as well… migrating to my house to start my weekend!

Until next post,

Sandy and Robert

p.s.  Don’t forget to make your way through our entire website for all of your Sanibel and Captiva Island Real Estate needs.  Enjoy!