‘Ding’ Darling lecture series takes flight with birds of Alaska
Author of 12 children’s and three adult nature books and contributor to “Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,” Debbie S. Miller will kick off the 2019 “Ding” Darling Friday Lecture series on Jan. 25 with two special presentations on “Birds of Alaska – from the Arctic to Prince William Sound” at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
Miller’s latest book, “A Wild Promise: Prince Island Sound,” explores a priceless natural gem: south central Alaska’s Nellie Juan-College Fiord Wilderness Study Area. This wild expanse of more than two million acres, home to a broad array of wildlife that thrives in and around the nutrient-rich sound, has remained static as a designated wilderness study area for more than three decades.
A lover of wild places, Miller has explored and written about Alaska’s wilderness and wildlife for over four decades. She also authored “Midnight Wilderness: Journeys in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge” and “On Arctic Ground: Tracking Time through Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve.”
“I will try to connect people to some of Alaska’s birds, such as the rufous hummingbird, that is on record migrating from Prince William Sound to Tallahassee,” Miller said. “What a flight for a little fluff of life that weighs less than a penny.”
The author will sign copies of her books, available in the Refuge Nature Store, following the two lectures. Profits from the store’s sales directly benefit refuge wildlife, education and research.
HighTower/Thomas & Swartz Wealth Management sponsors the 11-lecture series with support from the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge. The free lectures are held Fridays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. through April 12. The remaining schedule is listed below; some include book signings:
– Jan. 25: Author Debbie S. Miller, “Birds of Alaska – from the Arctic to Prince William Sound”*
– Feb. 1: Author/photographer Richard Crossley, “The Crossley ID Guides: Waterfowl”*
– Feb. 15: Author Paul Bannick, “Owl: A Year in the Lives of North American Owls”*
– Feb. 22: Author Anurag Agrawal, “Monarchs and Milkweed: A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story of Coevolution”*
– March 1: Author Warner Shedd, “Owls Aren’t Wise and Bats Aren’t Blind: A Naturalist Debunks Our Favorite Fallacies about Wildlife”*
– March 8: Yve Morrell, “The Big Year: A First for Women”
– March 15: Jeremy Conrad, “Sea Level Rise: Globally & Locally”
– March 22: Dusty “Wildman” Crum, Robbie and Geoff Roepstorff, and Mike Kirkland, “Pythons: The Hunters, the Science”
– March 29: Marine scientist Lauren Blickley, “Drastic Plastic – Turning the Tide on Plastic Pollution”
– April 5: Ornithologist Dr. Jerry Lorenz, “Flamingos & Spoonbills: Pink Canaries in a Coal Mine”
– April 12: Author Denege Patterson, “Five Islands Never Flooded: A Tour of the Islands of Pine Island Sound, Florida”*
*book signing to follow
Seating for the lectures is limited and available on a first-come basis. Early arrivals can save one seat and one extra one with personal items and then may explore the Visitor & Education Center or Indigo Trail before the lecture starts. Saved seats must be filled 15 minutes before lecture time.
As usual, Wildlife Drive closes on Friday, but visitors are welcome to enjoy the free Visitor & Education Center, Indigo Trail, and recreational opportunities at Tarpon Bay Explorers, the refuge’s official recreation concession located at its Tarpon Bay Recreation Area.
For more information, call 239-472-1100 ext. 241 or visit dingdarlingsociety.org/articles/lecture-and-film-series. The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is at 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel.