Deal du Jour: Sanibel Home on Lake and Ding Darling

Spacious three bedroom home, nearly 2200 square feet. On lake with dock near preserve with native plants, orchids and birds, dock and canoe. Screened pool and covered patio. Fenced yard. Driveway extension for 20 foot boat. Laminate and tile floors throughout. New kitchen two years old. New air conditioner last year. Large downstairs game room with TV. Two car garage. Hurricane shutters for all openings. Large lot, nearly .8 acre. Near "Ding Darling." Listed at $530,000.

The J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge is located on the subtropical barrier island of Sanibel in the Gulf of Mexico. The refuge is part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States. It is world famous for its spectacular migratory bird populations. The J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge was created to safeguard and enhance the pristine wildlife habitat of Sanibel Island, to protect endangered and threatened species, and to provide feeding, nesting, and roosting areas for migratory birds. Today, the refuge provides important habitat to over 220 species of birds. A political cartoonist with an eye toward conservation, Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling was instrumental in the effort to block the sale of a parcel of environmentally valuable land to developers on Sanibel Island. At Darling's urging, President Harry S. Truman signed an Executive Order creating the Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge in 1945.