Folks, I thought people might be interested in this fund raiser since many cavers from Texas have caved in New Mexico and at Carlsbad Caverns N.P. For those of you who don’t know Peter, he is a long time caver who lives in Maine and one of the organizers of the Maine convention which was held in his hometown of Camden. Peter is also an outstanding cave photographer. He and his brother Dave have been actively caving in the Guads since the 60’s and very active in Lech project caving. He has donated countless hours to the CCNP. If you’ll be out that way during Easter, you may want to stop by and see Petar and well as donate to the cause. Since Texas Cavers doesn’t accept attachments, email Peter directly if you would like a donation form.
Geary From: Peter Jones [mailto:pjca...@gwi.net] Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 7:15 AM To: Peter Jones Subject: A fundraising project by Peter Jones Greetings: You are receiving this e-mail because you're on my e-mail address list. I hope you will take a few minutes to read through it as this is my own personal project that I hope will be a success. You probably know that my two passions in life are pottery and cave exploration/photography. I am now planning on combining those interests together in a fundraising benefit for Carlsbad Caverns National Park (CACA NP). Although Carlsbad is a National Park and receives its basic operating and infrastructure expenses from the federal government, there are many projects they undertake which receive no funding from the Fed. They depend on raising that income through The Carlsbad Cavern Guadalupe Mountains Association (CCGMA), the private, nonprofit fundraising organization that operates The Bookstore within the Park's Visitors Center. As a nonprofit organization, they can solicit and raise funds from private individuals, corporations and various endowments. As you will read in the general article attached below, the past few years have been extremely tight for CCGMA due to various circumstances such as construction at the Park and upgrading of the elevator system that brings people into and out of the cave. As a result, many projects normally funded by CCGMA have been put on extended hold until the situation improves. As a person who loves that Park and the caves of the Guadalupe Mountains in general, I am doing a four day pottery demonstration and fundraiser in the Visitors Center of the Park over Easter Weekend. All the work I produce during those four days will be fired at a local kiln in New Mexico and then donated to The Bookstore for later sale with 100% of the income going to CCGMA and ultimately the Park projects. In addition, I am creating a series of Carlsbad Caverns National Park mugs which are "Thank You!" gifts for making a donation of $25 or more to the Park. It is my hope that this will be a successful venture as all the costs of doing this event come out of my pocket and there is ZERO expense to the Park or CCGMA. It is my hope that many thousands of dollars will go directly to the Park as a result of this venture and support the various projects that the Park tries to provide. I know that very few, if any, of you will be there at the Park for this event, but please consider making a donation to the Park by filling out the donation form listed below. As you can see, all checks and donations go directly to CCGMA. Some of you may remember The Grand Mug-a-Thon from 1986 in which I threw 1,000 coffee mugs in 24 hours as a fundraiser for the Maine Children's Cancer Program. While this is not the same type of venture, it was the success of that event over 25 years ago that made me think of a similar project for and at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Thank you for your consideration and I hope you will at least wish me well on this undertaking. It may go down in history as Peter's Great Folly, but I won't know until I try. Thank you for your support. Peter Jones Artisan For the Park A Fundraising Project for the Benefit of Carlsbad Caverns National Park On Easter weekend, April 6 - 9, 2012, Carlsbad Caverns National Park will host a fundraising event to benefit park projects. Caver/potter/cave photographer Peter Jones will present a four day “Artisan for the Park” demonstration on behalf of the Carlsbad Caverns Guadalupe Mountains Association (CCGMA), the private, non-profit fundraising organization for Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. In the lobby of the park’s Visitor Center, Peter will set up his potters wheel and display stand to give demonstrations and talks about his pottery career, caving in Carlsbad Cavern, Lechuguilla Cave exploration, his cave photography for the Park and the fundraising that is necessary to support the Park’s many underfunded projects. All pottery produced over that four day period will be glazed and fired in a local pottery kiln and donated to CCGMA for sale in their Bookstore, profits of which will support park projects. In addition to the pottery made during the project being later available at the Bookstore, pre-made mugs with a Carlsbad Cavern design element stamped into the mugs will be available during the event as a “thank you” for donations of $25 or more made to CCGMA. For those who can’t attend the event, you will find more information below on how to contribute and receive a mug in return. OUR NATIONAL PARKS The national parks of the United States are among our finest treasures and Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico is a jewel in the crown of our national park system. Any caver would instantly recognize that name as the home of the finest caves in the world such as Carlsbad Cavern and Lechuguilla Cave, among many others. Close to a million visitors come to Carlsbad every year to see its hidden wonders. Our national parks preserve unique places of beauty and interest for posterity, study, education and enjoyment by visitors to the parks. In addition to operating and maintaining the parks, the National Park Service provides educational materials, opportunities for more in-depth experiences and youth outreach programs. As often happens, there are more projects and programs that support the park’s goals than funds available for them. To fund special programs and cover costs beyond basic operating expenses, national parks partner with private, non-profit organizations, like CCGMA, which can apply for grants, appeal to corporate and private donors and operate concessions within the park that generate income. These privately generated funds go toward a variety of worthwhile projects. For instance, to further the educational goals of the park, CCGMA has paid for printing guides, brochures and Junior Ranger booklets, stipends for Student Conservation Association interns, quality photographs of park resources for park publications and website, and honoraria for guest speakers. Park managers have identified several targets for this “Artisan for the Park” event. To cavers and others interested in nature and outdoor activities, it may seem incredible that many young people today know very little about our national parks, to say nothing of having visited one. Reaching today’s young people is a major goal of the NPS to put them in touch with their heritage and get them interested in active pursuits. To meet this need, using special grants and federal funds, Carlsbad Caverns National Park has been offering ParKids day camps for children ages 7-12, every summer for several years. The park is expanding this successful program to include older children aged 13-15 and will include educational caving trips and hikes as well as learning about park management and the need to preserve these special places for future generations. The biggest need is funding to cover transportation costs for up to 24 young people for the week-long program. RENOVATIONS AT THE PARK In 2007, a construction project took place at Carlsbad Caverns resulting in a major overhaul of the Park’s Visitors Center. The interior of the building was gutted, leaving only the exterior shell in which to rebuild and upgrade the infrastructure to current day standards. During that reconstruction, many of the park operations, including the Bookstore, had to be moved into temporary trailers in the parking lot outside of the main building. This move resulted in a significant decrease in sales. Another renovation project on the park’s elevator system has also impacted CCGMA Bookstore sales for more than a year because of rerouting visitors away from the Bookstore. These two projects alone have caused a significant drop in the number of projects that CCGMA has been able to finance in recent history. When the building reopened in October 2008, the changes were immediately evident, presenting park visitors with spectacular new displays, educational exhibits and the stunning Cavern Arts Project. Based on the discovery of early photographs taken in the park by Ansel Adams, the Cavern Arts Project exhibits work by past and present artists in all disciplines, alongside those of Adams’, on a rotating basis. Several of these new exhibits that we all take for granted when visiting the park were funded in part by CCGMA. As such, the Artisan for the Park project is a way to help bring in much needed funding by direct participation and interaction between the artist and Park visitors. HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE For those who would like to participate, but can’t be at Carlsbad Caverns over the Easter weekend, you can download a pdf form from the internet by going to the following website address: http://www.johncharleswoods.net/pfiles/ppages/cacafrp . There you will find more information about the project and a printable form for making donations to CCGMA. A mailing label will be attached to the form that you must fill out to receive your mug by Priority Mail. Please note that there is an additional $8.00 charge to cover the costs of mailing and packaging material. Mail in the form with your check (made out directly to “Carlsbad Caverns Guadalupe Mountains Association”) or credit card number and send it to the address listed on the label. Alternately, you may call in you credit card donation directly to CCGMA at 575-785-2484. Your mug and a thank you letter with receipt for your donation will be sent to you as soon as the mugs are finished. Please note that all the funds you donate go directly to CCGMA and only the cost of shipping is applied to cover shipping expenses. Please note that donations of ALL sizes are more than welcome, but a minimum of $25 is required for each mug you request in return. Realize too that you will have the eternal gratitude of Carlsbad Caverns National Park for any donations you make on their behalf. Peter Jones (NSS 11412 FE) has been caving since 1968 and throwing pots full time since 1971. He was Co-Chairman of the 2002 NSS Convention in Camden, Maine where he lives. Those of you who have been to NSS Conventions or OTR or will recognize him and his work as a regular on Vendors Row at those events. He is also a cave photographer and the purveyor of Firefly Slaves for Cave Photography as Shot in the Dark Cave Photography. He has photographed extensively for Carlsbad Caverns National Park, teaches cave photography workshops and has been caving in the Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico for 43 years. The Carlsbad Caverns Guadalupe Mountains Association is managed by “T.K.” Kajiki and is a private, non-profit organization. In addition to funding various projects at Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks, they operate three Bookstores at the two parks and in the Administrative Office in the city of Carlsbad. For more information about their organization, go to their website at: http://www.ccgma.org<http://www.ccgma.org/>/ . Thank you in advance for your support of Carlsbad Caverns National Park through this Artisan for the Park project. [cid:0e2471e0-a283-4242-99b8-139345d76c62@edwardsaquifer.org]
