J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge

J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge

Parks Directory of the United States / National Wildlife Refuges

Address: 1 Wildlife Dr
Sanibel, FL 33957
Phone: 239-472-1100;
Fax: 239-472-4061;
Web: dingdarling.fws.gov
Established: 1945.
Location: On Florida's west coast; 15 miles southwest of Ft. Myers, Florida, on Sanibel Island.
Facilities: Visitor center, canoe and kayak rentals, boat launches, auto tour route (5 miles), trails, observation tower, pavilion, historic features.
Activities: Boating, canoeing, fishing, hiking, bicycling, educational programs, tram tours.
Special Features: Named after political cartoonist who was one of the pioneers of the conservation movement. Darling was instrumental in the effort to block the sale of the environmentally valuable land that became the refuge named after him to developers, and is credited as one of the key people in the establishment of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Habitats: 6,354 acres of mangrove forest, submerged seagrass beds, cordgrass marshes and West Indian hardwood hammocks.
Access: Open daily during daylight hours.
Wild life: American crocodile, West Indian manatee, eastern indigo snake, and sea turtles. Also provides habitat for a wide diversity of shore birds, wading birds, waterfowl, wood stork, peregrine falcon, American alligator, and bald eagle.

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