DDWS, refuge to present next lecture in annual series
As part of the 18th annual “Ding” Darling Lecture Series, the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge will host Jack E. Davis for “The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America’s Bird” on March 18 at 10 a.m. at The Community House, at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel.
From the Pulitzer-winning author, the publication of “The Bald Eagle” has been long awaited. Hot off the presses, the book takes readers from the bald eagles’ relationship with native peoples to its dawning as an American symbol and imperilment at the brink of extinction. Davis will speak about his book.
Filled with stories of founding fathers, rapacious hunters, heroic bird rescuers and the lives of bald eagles — monogamous creatures, considered among the animal world’s finest parents — “The Bald Eagle” is a cultural and natural chronicle that demonstrates how the bird’s journey may provide inspiration today, as people grapple with environmental peril on a larger scale.
Davis grew up in Florida and is a professor of history and the Rothman Family Chair in the Humanities at the University of Florida. In 2018, he spoke for the refuge’s lecture series after his book, “The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea,” won the Pulitzer Prize in history and the Kirkus Prize in nonfiction. It made several “best of” lists for the year, including for the Washington Post, NPR, Forbes, and Tampa Bay Times.
The author or editor of 10 books, including the award-winning “An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century,” Davis has written for the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Tampa Bay Times, Orion and other publications. His previous book, coedited with former doctoral student Leslie Poole, is “The Wilder Heart of Florida,” a collection of personal essays and poems about natural Florida. In 2019, he was one of 22 recipients nationwide of an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship, awarded to support the writing of “The Bald Eagle.”
The lecture is free; a book signing will follow.
It is co-sponsored by Pat Appino, Sonya Keene and John Moy, and in memory of Roddy West.
Socially-distanced seating is limited and available on a first-come basis. Masks are recommended but are not required. Staff will distribute wristbands one hour before the lecture. Early arrivals may save their seat and one other with personal items. Saved seats must be filled 15 minutes before the lecture starts.
For more information, visit dingdarlingsociety.org/articles/lecture-and-film-series.