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Sanibel’s ‘Ding’ Darling is Richest Ecosystem on Earth
LEE COUNTY CONVENTION & TOURISM BOATD PHOTO
BY PAT LINDSEY
There are two distinct sides to Sanibel. The one that everyone sees most often is the island with the world-famous shelling beaches. But on its northeast side is the richest ecosystem on the planet, which is being preserved and studied in the back bay area of Sanibel in the J. N.”Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
A forest of red, black and white mangroves and other plants create an illusion of land mass and a place for other plants and red fish to grow. The back bay estuary is responsible for 80% of all the shrimp and other fish and marine life. It is home to bullsharks, manatees, dolphins, osprey, bobcats, and raccoons.
The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is a 6,400-acre tract name for 1920’s Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and environmentalist Jay Norwood Darling. It costs $5 per car to drive through the refuge or $1 per person to walk through it. A guided tram tour is $13. The visitors’ center is free to everyone and well worth a visit. The refuge is open from 7:30 a.m. to sundown, Saturday through Thursday, and closed Fridays.
Our guide, Lewis Irvine, was brimming with Calusa history, eco facts, and animal trivia. He told us that the refuge and the back bay area was like “a wonderful little 24-hour café. The water is three feet deep everywhere. When the tide goes out, the raccoons and other critters come out to dine.” As Lewis drove our tram down the narrow man-made road with water and mangroves and vegetation on both sides, he pointed out a small clearing among the tall grasses that looked like a good place to walk down to the water.
Lewis warned us to avoid places like that when we’re on foot. “Those are alligator paths,” he said. “Some people have made the mistake of walking their little dogs down those paths.” Lewis told us that “an alligator can be as happy as a clam with a couple of crabs a day. He only requires 200-400 calories a day.”
The “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is by far the most popular attraction on Sanibel. It features footpaths, winding canoe/kayak trails and a four-mile scenic drive, all of which are lush with seagrape, wax and salt myrtles, cabbage or sabal palms and other native plants.
Visitors may see one of many endangered species. White pelicans, roseate spoonbills, manatees, wood storks, bald eagles, American peregrine falcons, ospreys, herons, American alligators and Atlantic loggerhead turtles have been sited often.
No two visits will ever be the same, because the animals and the vegetation are constantly changing. One example of this is if you visit in winter, the refuge will look like birdland. But if you visit in July, as we did, most of the birds will be gone. By summer, most of the birds have finished raising their young and the families have left.
For more information, call (239) 472-1100 or visit web site: www.fws.gov/dingdarling.
