Marine Experience

The Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is located on the north side of Sanibel Island, they normally have over twenty-five different tours of the estuaries and mangroves. It is visited by over 250 different species of birds. You can also find alligators, bobcats, river otters, dolphins, and manatees. There are at least forty species of fish, wildlife, and plants that are endangered including the American Alligator, Gopher tortoise, and West Indian manatee.

The refuge is named after J Norwood Darling. In the early 1940s, Darling urged President Truman to sign an executive order that first created the refuge. The refuge is under constant threat of from climate crisis, eco-intrusions, and industrial waste that is dumped into the waters surrounding Sanibel. Non-native wildlife and plants, for instance, were brought to Florida from foreign lands by the tens of thousands. The non-native invasive Cuban Tree frog, for example, threatens the native American Green Tree Frog population.

The marsh’s waters are threatened by the decrease in population of the oysters that are needed to clean the refuge’s fresh waters. See right, hundreds of oysters can be found underneath this specie of mangrove. Ding Darling is defined by its mangroves because it is part of the “largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States.” The refuge is home to three species of mangrove: white, red, and black. Red Mangrove have glossy leaves, elliptical with a dull underside. The roots reduce salt intake. Black Mangrove has shiny leaves with a silver underside. They excrete excess salt to the surface of its leaves. White Mangrove has succulent leaves with notched tips. They, too, excrete excess salt to the surface of its leaves. Snook, tarpon, and sea-trout are some of the fish that use mangroves. 

The mangroves are protected under the Florida state Mangrove Preservation Act, but are still threatened by destruction of coastlines, deterioration of water quality due to run-off, and invasion of exotic plants. Aggressive conservation is needed to protect the mangroves from extinction. There are kayak tours that educates its visitors while exploring deep into the mangrove forests. Paddles up!