Deadline approaches for scholarships

A former scholarship winner pictured with Wendy Schnapp, co-owner of Tarpon Bay Explorers, the original conservation scholarship donor. COURTESY PHOTO

Students interested in saving the environment can apply for more than $25,000 in scholarship money from the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge. The deadline for the application is Sunday, March 31.

There are 13 scholarships available for environmental studies students. The prizes range from $1,000 to $5,000 each. They’re available to high school seniors, college students and graduate students from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. The students must be pursuing degrees in environmental-related studies.

This year’s named scholarships include the following:

¦ Richard Bailey Scholarship

¦ Mike and Terry Baldwin Scholarship

¦ Dr. Andrew and Laura Dahlem Scholarship

¦ Dr. H. Randall Deming Scholarship for Conservation and Environmental Studies

¦ “Ding” Darling Conservation Scholarship

¦ Hans and Leslie Fleischner Scholarships (two scholarships)

¦ The Mary Elaine Jacobson Memorial Scholarship

¦ Kent and Sharon Jager Scholarship

¦ Win & Marilyn Kloosterman Scholarship

¦ Barry & Francine Litofsky Scholarship

¦ Tarpon Bay Explorers Scholarship

¦ Jane Werner Environmental Scholarships (two scholarships)

DDWS will award the scholarships at a special ceremony at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island in June. Now in its 18th year, the DDWS scholarship program presented its first awards in 2006, donated by Tarpon Bay Explorers, the refuge’s official recreation concession. To date, the program has awarded a total of $262,400 to deserving students.

Interested students can find more information and printable application forms at dingdarlingsociety.org/articles/ student-scholarships.

To learn more about the scholarship program and establishing a permanently endowed scholarship, contact Ann-Marie Wildman at wildman@dingdarlingsociety.org . ¦

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