"Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge

As a lead into  this post, let me explain a little bit of the history of Sanibel Island.  This subtropical island was originally home to the Native Americans.  The Calusa, Spanish Indians, and Seminoles all lived on and around Sanibel Island at one time.  The lush mangroves and large natural harbor between the barrier island and the mainland were excellent fishing grounds for these people.  Even as the Spanish and then English moved into Florida, this barrier island remained fairly remote.  It was not until the mid 1860s that cattlemen moved onto Sanibel and began raising cattle and farming on the island.   

In 1886 the Sanibel Lighthouse was constructed to aid the cattlemen's ships in traversing the inlet from the Gulf  of Mexico into the protected sound on the east side of Sanibel.  The island remained sparsely populated with homesteaders until the devastating 1926 hurricane.  When this hurricane hit the area, it brought high winds and tidal surge but not that much rain.  The tidal surge that over washed the island resulted in significant salt water seeping into the soil without being diluted by rain.  This destroyed the farming on Sanibel and most of the residents left the island to farm on the mainland.  Only 80 people remained on Sanibel after the 1926 hurricane.  

Even during the 1940s and 1950s only about 100 people were residents.  It was in the 1960s when air-conditioning and mosquito control became available, that the barrier island began to grow as a vacation spot.  Lee County Florida also started plans to build a causeway bridge to connect the island with the mainland and make it accessible via car.  Developers saw an opportunity and began buying up old homesteads anticipating the building of high rises for vacationers and "snow-birds".  The island population was expected to go from around 100 people to upwards of 93,000. 

 Luckily just over 6400 acres of Sanibel's rich mangroves had already been designated as a wildlife refuge.  This land was not available to developers.  It was named the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge in 1967 in honor of Jay Norwood Darling.  Darling was a political cartoonist as well as an active conservationist.  A good friend of Teddy Roosevelt, they worked together to establish a national forestry service.  Under President Franklin Roosevelt, Darling served on the Committee for Wildlife Restoration and later organized the National Wildlife Federation.  He was instrumental in many conservation programs and twice won the Pulitzer Prize for cartooning. The wildlife refuge on Sanibel was one of his favorite places for bird watching.  Upon his death in 1962, it seemed only fitting to rename it after him.  

That is quite a long story to lead into our most recent exploration on Sanibel; however I think it is worthwhile background.  This past week Keith and I spent some time visiting the J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel. 

 This refuge is the largest, undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States.  It is home to many animals, but most notably waterfowl.  There are year-round resident birds as well as migratory species.

Some American White pelicans and cormorants

You might think of pelicans as being coastal birds, however the American White pelican spends its summers in the center of the country.  It prefers freshwater lakes in the Midwest, but can be found as far north as Canada and Minnesota.  It migrates to the gulf coast of Florida, Mexico, and Central America for the winter.

Osprey sitting on her nest

 

Two red-breasted mergansers

 

 Reddish Egret

 Pengi taking a break on one of the park benches (he winters in Florida quite frequently).

Woodpecker 

 

Although there are both several alligator and crocodiles in the refuge, we did not see any.

 (Like I want to get close enough to feed, or harass one of these critters).

The refuge is very pretty with both a section in the center of the island with marshlands and some acreage along the eastern edge with mangroves.

 

Red mangrove tree and roots

Spanish moss and spider webs

Exploring the refuge was a good way to spend several hours.  With several nice trails that are open to hiking and biking with no fee, I may be back to look for those elusive gators ( no approaching, feeding, of harassing of course).