REFUGE/DDWS The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel will offer open-air yoga at The Roost, its new outdoor flex space, as one of the activities scheduled for Wellness in Nature on Jan. 18-21.

Save the dates for a four-day weekend focusing on the get-outdoors nature cure.

Wellness in Nature will take place at “Ding” centers at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel from Jan. 18-21, but it will also reach out into the greater Lee County community with activities planned both at Lakes Park and Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers.

“The past two years, the refuge has hosted Wellness in Nature events, which started with unveiling our self-guided Mindfulness Trail at the Bailey Tract, the first of its kind in the nearly 570 national wildlife refuges across the U.S.,” Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland said. “This year, we have reorganized activities into a condensed series whose purpose is to get people outdoors to better their health and well-being.”

The event will kick off on Jan. 18 with a free guided biking tour led by Westland starting at 7:30 a.m. Participants must bring their own bikes and pre-register via Eventbrite.

Later that day, University of Florida’s Soil and Water Sciences Department professor, founder of UF’s Mindfulness Program and keynote speaker Dr. Sabine Grunwald will present “Unplug to Reconnect: How Less Time on Screens Makes You a Happier Person.” Lectures will be held at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and are limited on a first-come basis.

On Jan. 19, when Wildlife Drive and the refuge’s Visitor & Education Center are closed for weekly maintenance, the wellness team has scheduled a photography workshop at the Bailey Tract and Energy Medicine Walks at Lakes Park and FGCU’s Food Forest.

On Jan. 20-21, Wellness in Nature will reach it peaks with a Wellness in Nature Fest, including open-air yoga, live music, creation stations, ranger-led archery, a birding tram tour and a refuge estuary clean-up (bring your own paddlecraft or join by foot).

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

JAN. 18

– 7:30 to 9 a.m.: Bike the Refuge with Supervisory Refuge Ranger Toni Westland; sign up via Eventbrite

– 10 to 11 a.m.: Keynote lecturer Sabine Grunwald, University of Florida’s Soil and Water Sciences Department professor and founder of UF’s Mindfulness Program, on “Unplug to Reconnect: How Less Time on Screens Makes You a Happier Person”

– 1 to 2 p.m.: Grunwald on “Unplug to Reconnect: How Less Time on Screens Makes You a Happier Person”

– 2:30 to 4 p.m.: Tote Bag Painting at The Roost; sign up via Eventbrite

JAN. 19

– 8:30 to 10 a.m.: Energy Medicine Walk at Lakes Park in Fort Myers; sign up via Eventbrite

– 9 to 10 a.m.: Nature Photography Workshop at Bailey Tract; sign up via Eventbrite

– 5 to 6:30 p.m. Energy Medicine Walk at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Food Forest in Fort Myers; sign up via Eventbrite

JAN. 20

– 9 to 10 a.m.: Movement and Meditation at The Roost; sign up via Eventbrite

– 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Creation stations, archery and live acoustic jazz

– 10 to 11 a.m. Grounding in Nature 101; sign up via Eventbrite

– 11 a.m. to noon: Nature Journaling; sign up via Eventbrite

JAN. 21

– 9 a.m.: Peace of Birding Tram Tour

– 9 a.m. to noon: Wellness for Nature Paddle Clean-up (refuge estuary clean-up)

– 10 to 11 a.m.: Yoga at The Roost

To register for activities, visit DingDarling.Eventbrite.com.

For more information, visit dingwellness.com or call 239-472-1100, Ext. 221.