Contact : Birgie Vertesch, Event Coordinator
Phone: 239.292.0566
Email: maverick21150@aol.com
DDWS hosts “Art Auction”
The air is charged with excitement the night before a Federal Duck Stamp final round of judging and will be especially so this year as the program celebrates the selection of the image for the 75th stamp. On Sanibel Island, where the judging takes place, “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society (DDWS), in partnership with Ducks Unlimited, will plug into that energy on Friday, Oct. 12, when it hosts its “Art for Conservation on Sanibel” fundraiser.
Live and silent auction items will feature original cartoons by J. N. “Ding” Darling, designer of the first Federal Duck Stamp and Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist of the early 1900s, and an Audubon print appraised at $11,000. Jim Sprankle, president of the board of DDWS and a nationally recognized wood carver, will be donating a life-size, hand -carved and -painted Wood Duck Drake. A number of past winners of the duck stamp competition have donated artwork for the auction, along with other nationally renowned wildlife artists. The 2006-07 Duck Stamp winner, Richard Clifton, will be honored that evening, along with other special guests.
Attendance to the Oct. 12 Art for Conservation Fundraiser is by reservation only. Tickets are $250 each. For more information, or to receive an invitation, call 239-472-1100 ext. 228.
Committee members for this auction include: Theresa Baldwin, Sandy Boyle, Susan Cassell, Dave Dohner of Ducks Unlimited, Wesley Fay, Liz Fowler, Melissa Gribble, Liz Kennedy, Abby Murtaugh, Evelyn Neill, Ann Potter, Carol Rothman, Jim Scott, Laura Sheft, Jim Sprankle, Patty Sprankle, Maureen Tesoro, Birgie Vertesch, and Chelle Walton.
Event sponsorships are available; for information, please call event coordinator Birgie Vertesch at 239-292-0566.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and DDWS, the refuge’s friends group, have planned a week of activities to showcase the second most-visited refuge in the nation. “Ding” Darling Days will coincide with the contest events, and will include birding tours, kayaking, a Florida Junior Duck Stamp awards ceremony, live wildlife presentations, and a free Family Fun Day.
The island community is pitching in with special lodging rates and other discounts for duck stamp holders. Island entrepreneur Sandra “Sandy” Stillwell will serve as honorary chair for the event.
For more information on attending the Art for Conservation Fundraiser and contiguous events, visit www.fws.gov/duckstamp75 or www.dingdarlingdays.com, or call (239) 292-0566