J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is celebrating the 31st Annual “Ding” Day at the Refuge on Sunday, October 20th. Starting at 8:00 am, it will be a full day of tours, presentations and activities.
Mark your calendars for this year’s birding and eco-festival on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019. Free activities include refuge tram tours, live wildlife presentations, archery clinics, hot dogs, a touch tank and butterfly house, wildlife yoga, nature sketching, origami, and kids’ nature crafts. Federal Duck Stamp and Junior Duck Stamp winners plus conservation art award ceremonies will take place throughout the day.
New this year are free birding and biking tours, along with a paddle-boarding clinic. Birding, biking and hiking tours will be offered hourly, and a special Nature Hike at 10:00am on Indigo Trail will be offered in Spanish.
Recreation concession Tarpon Bay Explorers (www.tarponbayexplorers) offers free stand-up paddle-boarding clinics from 9:00am until noon at the Tarpon Bay Recreation Center. Touch tank presentations will also be held at Tarpon Bay. Discounts are also being offered on kayak rentals, and several tours and cruises will be discounted, including the Sea Life and Nature Cruise and the popular Commodore Creek Paddle. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (239) 472-8900.
Also new in 2019 is a special presentation by celebrity python hunter Dusty “Wildman” Crum and biologist Mike Kirkland on the devastating effect of pythons on the Everglades ecosystem. They will co-present a free program at 11:00 am on their work to save Everglades wildlife. Don’t worry; no live pythons will be present!
For more information about “Ding” Day on Sunday, October 20th, go to www.dingdarlingdays.com or call (239) 472-1100.
