The J. N."Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge

By Janina Birtolo
Photography Courtesy Of J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Karl Rouwhorst & Robert Shallenberger

Editorial cartoonists have long had a reputation for expressing their opinions in ways both simple and arresting. With a few strokes of a pen, they can express thoughts and ideas that might otherwise take pages. Despite that admirable ability, however, how often does a cartoonist's work result in a tangible difference in the world? That may be an unanswerable question in most cases, but that is just what happened with J.N. "Ding" Darling and the wildlife refuge on Sanibel that now bears his name.

Jay Norwood Darling was born in Norwood, Michigan in 1876. By 1900, he had found his calling and joined the Sioux City Journal as a cartoonist. Six years later, he moved to the Des Moines Register, where he began signing his cartoons with a contraction of his last name—D'ing.

As might be expected of a young boy who grew up in the Midwest, Darling was an avid hunter and fisherman. However, noting the wanton habits of some of his fellow enthusiasts, he grew alarmed by the potential loss of wildlife habitat and even the possible extinction of certain species. Thus was born a lifelong commitment to conservation. Naturally, Darling used his editorial cartoons as an effective platform for promoting that cause, and his messages reached far and wide. During a pre-television era, when newspapers were the primary source of information, he connected with readers in nearly 150 different publications throughout the country. He was the recipient of two Pulitzer Prizes, one in 1924 and one in 1942.

However, as respected and renowned as Darling was for his cartoons, he did more than simply draw about conservation. He actively taught it through lectures and writings. Because of that reputation, President Franklin D. Roosevelt tapped Darling to be director of the U.S. Biological Survey (the forerunner of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) in 1934. Though he served in the position for only 18 months, Darling managed to initiate the Federal Duck Stamp Program, which required all waterfowl hunters (16 years and older) to purchase a Federal stamp. This program provides funding for the purchase of wetlands. He designed the first duck stamp himself and greatly increased the acreage of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

It was around this same time that Darling spent his first winter on Sanibel Island. There he discovered an area graced with great natural beauty, as well as a group of residents passionate about protecting it. "Dismayed by the unregulated and unenforced taking of wildlife on the islands, a group of local people conveyed their concern and fears to Mr. Darling," Charles LeBuff recounts in his book, Sanybel Light: An Historical Autobiography. "Because he knew the system and the way to get things done in high levels of government, he was drafted into spearheading the effort to curtail all hunting on the islands. His goal was to have Sanibel and Captiva set aside as sanctuaries, where migratory and resident birds and other native creatures could live free of mankind's disturbance."

Darling's first move was to form the concerned citizens into the Sanibel-CaptivaConservation Association—a group devoted to promoting the concept of conservation on the island in both local and national government circles. Despite the group's efforts, government action proceeded at a snail's pace. It did, however, proceed, and finally, on May 25, 1939, the Florida Legislature passed a bill establishing a State Game and Fish Refuge on Sanibel and Captiva.

Although the state had acted, Darling wanted federal assurance that Sanibel and Captiva would be protected. He continued to draw cartoons and write letters, lobbying his personal contacts in Washington. Then finally, on December 1, 1945, President Harry S. Truman established the Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge on 2,392 acres of land leased from the state and put it under the control of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Seven years later, in response to a petition by Darling's group, President Truman issued a proclamation extending the refuge lands and designating a closed (no hunting) area on and around Sanibel and a portion of southern Captiva, effectively extending the refuge lands.

In the early 1950s, islander Frank Bailey leased and then sold an additional 100 acres to the USFWS—for $50 an acre. That area became so popular with bird watchers that, in 1954, local carpenters were hired to construct an observation tower. The tower was later deemed unsafe and torn down; however, a second tower had since been built on other refuge lands in 1966, thanks to contributions from the "Ding" Darling Memorial Sanctuary Committee (the precursorto today's Sanibel–Captiva Conservation Foundation). That tower is still in use today by visitors to the refuge.

Following the death of Darling in 1962, a memorial committee was established. Around the same time, a group of Darling's supporters in Des Moines started the J.N. "Ding" Darling Foundation. The two organizations soon came together to create the J.N. "Ding" Darling Memorial Sanctuary on a portion of the refuge. Initially, their lobbying efforts were directed toward the USFWS. "To the long-time employees of the service, ‘Ding' Darling was highly revered and known as 'the best friend a duck ever had,'" LeBuff recounts in his book. "The project reached priority status, agency schedules were juggled and people responded."

First, though, the question of land ownership and boundaries needed to be settled. In 1964, the U.S. Department of the Interior sent Dee Crain to survey the land north of Sanibel- Captiva Road. Once he had untangled the overlapping borders of certain tracts, the federal government sought to purchase the lands from the state. In 1970, the State of Florida finally deeded the refuge lands to the U.S. Government, although the refuge had been officially renamed the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge three years earlier.

Today, the refuge encompasses 6,400 acres of mangrove forest, submerged sea grass beds, cord grass marshes and West Indian hardwood hammocks. The area provides habitat to more than 220 species of birds and numerous endangered and threatened animal species. Thanks largely to those many strokes of a cartoonist's pen, 850,000 nature lovers will have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the natural habitat on Sanibel each year.

For more on the development of Sanibel's refuge, tune into Untold Stories: The History of the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. The program is scheduled to air on WGCU Public Media 8:30 p.m. on March 23, at 6:30 p.m. on March 24 and at 11 p.m. on March 25. Please check your local listings to verify dates and times, or visit www.wgcu.org.

J. N."Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge

The J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge is located on the subtropical barrier island of Sanibel in the Gulfof Mexico. The refuge is part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States. It is world famous for its spectacular migratory bird populations. J. N."Ding" Darling is one of over 540 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System administered by the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

HOURS OF OPERATION
Wildlife Drive
Closed Friday
Saturday through Thursday
7:30 a.m. to sunset

EDUCATION CENTER
May 1 through December 31
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
January 1 through April 30
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Phone: (239) 472-1100 | Fax: (239) 472-4061
Email:dingdarling@fws.gov

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The J. N."Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge