PHOTO PROVIDED Charles Sobczak

Have you ever wondered how a gopher tortoise can survive an 8-foot storm surge? What happens to freshwater fish when their ponds fill with saltwater? Why do some homes survive a hurricane unscathed while others are reduced to rubble?

Sanibel author and naturalist Charles Sobczak will examine these and other questions in his free lectures, “Surviving the Storms — Hurricanes, Humans, and Wildlife,” on March 14 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel.

An award-winning author, he has written 10 books, including three non-fiction titles, two selected works and five novels. Sobczak’s non-fiction work focuses on local and regional flora and fauna in Florida, including “Living Sanibel: A Nature Guide to Sanibel & Captiva Islands.”

The remaining schedule for the “Ding” Darling Lecture Series is as follows:

– March 21: Recycling expert Stephanie Kissinger, “Talking Trash: Post-Hurricane Clean-Up and Recycling”

*Book signing to follow

Seating for the lectures is limited on a first-come basis. Early arrivals can check in after 9 a.m. or noon to obtain a wristband, then explore the Visitor & Education Center or Wildlife Drive and trails before the lecture starts. Saved seats must be filled 15 minutes before the lecture time or risk being reassigned.

The “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge co-hosts the lectures with the refuge and through financial support from co-sponsors Cliff and Susan Beittel and Friend of “Ding” Darling.

For more information, visit dingdarlingsociety.org/articles/lecture-series.

The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel.