The “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge Marks 75th Anniversary The refuge celebrated its 75th anniversary on December 1, 2020. Nationally-syndicated cartoonist and island resident Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling played a key role in Harry Truman’s 1945 Executive Order establishing the Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge. The 6,400-acre refuge was renamed in Darling’s honor in 1967.

The Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation has helped Sanibel Island become a prime nesting zone along the Southwest Florida coast for sea turtles such as the Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Kemps Ridley and Green Turtle. The nests are cordoned off and monitored and a fleet of island volunteers documents the status of the nests. The care and protection of sea turtles dates all the way back to the middle of the previous century on Sanibel & Captiva...

This is our 3rd issue working with photographer Mila Bridger, and as direct result of our association with her we have made fashion a central element in our island magazines. We can thank Melissa DeHaven of the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center (SBDAC) for the introduction. Melissa had a feeling Mila would be a perfect match and she has been. Our photo shoots for this year’s Island Scene took place at Sundial Beach Resort and the Sanibel Inn...

For the past 20 years East West Fine Art Gallery has regaled the Naples market with masterpieces by some of the finest contemporary Russian and Eastern European artists. Gallery owners Olga and Leeza Arkhangelskaya have reached new heights with the sublime genius of Russian painter Georgy Kurasov. Kurasov’s original paintings frequently sell in excess of $40,000, but the price tag doesn’t really tell the story...

On the night of December 8, 1980, ABC broadcaster Howard Cosell interrupted Monday Night Football to announce that John Lennon had been murdered outside of his apartment in Manhattan. I was in bed in a school dormitory when the news came over the radio the next morning. I thought, “Who would want to kill John Lennon?” Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, had returned late in the evening from a...

The annual fundraiser for the Sanibel Historical Society, styled “It Takes A Village,” netted more than $100,000 on February 18 at the Sanibel Community House. Co-chairs Sherry Halleran and Mary Bondurant and President Bill Bachman welcomed 194 donors, members, volunteers and other friends of the Historical Society and thanked them for their ongoing support. Wayne and Linda Boyd were the presenting sponsors...

In recent times many families are seeking an outdoor approach to learning. Consequently, Sanibel is home to its very own nature-based preschool! The Children's Education Center of the Islands is a non-profit that was founded 46 years ago for preschool aged children. The Children's Education Center of the Islands is a nature-based preschool program that incorporates that natural world within an early childhood education program. The purpose of […]

While it is always a good idea to periodically review one’s estate plans, the passage of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Act”) provided increased opportunities for estate planning. Certain provisions in the Act, along with the reduced asset values in today’s environment, may provide incentives for additional lifetime gifting. The Act contains some of the most sweeping changes to the IRS Code in decades. It doubled the unified lifetime exemption for estate and gift taxes...

The Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation has been led for the past two years by Ryan Orgera, who grew up on Lemon Bay in nearby Charlotte County and has traveled around the globe on conservation initiatives. A Ph.D. in Geography and Environmental Services from Louisiana State University, Orgera brings a striking combination of field experience and political experience to the job of CEO at SCCF. He traveled to Africa and Latin America...

In 2020 the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island celebrated its 75^th anniversary. Jay Norwood Darling created it as the Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge in 1945, and it was rechristened in 1967 in his honor, following his death in 1962. It was the first national wildlife refuge named for a person. The Refuge Complex encompasses 7,682 acres comprising the main campus on Sanibel-Captiva Road, Tarpon Bay Recreation Area, Bailey Tract,

For a quarter of a century, a unique Sanibel museum has held a special place in the lore of the world’s shelling capital. It has become one of the most popular destinations on Sanibel & Captiva Islands for tourists and residents alike. More than 1 million people have gazed upon the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum’s world-class collection in those 25 years, and now they also find intriguing aquariums revealing the live animals behind those shells, including living Junonias.

The CROW Case of the Year in the 2020-21 issue of Island Scene magazine is the story of a female bobcat hit by a car and successfully released. The sub-adult bobcat was hit in the evening on May 7, 2020 as it was crossing Buckingham Road in Fort Myers. Tammy Streets was driving behind the vehicle that hit her and acted quickly by calling her high school friend, Cat Turner, a former senior staff rehabilitator & sea turtle tech at CROW. Cat and her husband, Kent Turner, rushed to the scene.