J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge

Infobox_protected_area | name = J.N. 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge
iucn_category = V

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locator_x = 225
locator_y = 161
location = Lee County, Florida, USA
nearest_city = Sanibel, Florida
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area = 5,200 acres (21 km²)
established = 1976

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governing_body = US Fish & Wildlife Service

The J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located in southwestern Florida, on Sanibel Island in the Gulf of Mexico. It is named for the cartoonist Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling.

The 5,200 acre (21 km²) refuge was established in 1976, to protect one of the country's largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystems. The refuge is well-known for its migratory bird populations. Hurricane Charley struck the refuge on August 13, 2004, causing major changes to the topography and ecology. The J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge Complex consists of the following: the Darling Refuge itself, and the Caloosahatchee, Island Bay, Matlacha and Pine Island National Wildlife Refuges. The northern part of the refuge is designated as the J.N. Ding Darling Wilderness Area, and consists of 2,619.13 acres (10.6 km²) or 41.0% of its total area.

External links

* [http://www.fws.gov U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]
** [http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling/ J.N. 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge]
** [http://www.fws.gov/realty/table08.html J.N. 'Ding' Darling Wilderness Area statistics]
* [http://www.dingdarlingsociety.org/DD_ABOUT.html J.N. 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge] at [http://www.dingdarlingsociety.org/DD_ABOUT.html "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society]
* [http://www.ding-darling.org J.N. 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge] at [http://www.ding-darling.org J. N. "Ding" Darling Foundation]
* [http://floridaconservation.org/viewing/sites/site-sw05.html J.N. 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge] at [http://floridaconservation.org Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission]
* [http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_nwr/fl_ding.htm J.N. 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge] at [http://gorp.away.com Gorp.com]