May 17, 2017
We welcome you to the 2017-2018 Friend raising campaign to reach our current and future goals of preserving and enhancing your very own National Monument here in Teller County, Colorado.
This year we have set our sights on raising $8,500 to replace the septic line and repair plumbing in the Fowler Educational Seminar Building. Funding will replace a broken septic line while making needed plumbing repairs so the building will have indoor plumbing for a working restroom facility and safe drinking water. It is anticipated that this more than four decades old building will host Friend’s seminars, ranger guided elk walks, and serve as a base camp for field crew work teams for resource management and fire crews when needed.
You may ask– why has this not been funded by the National Park Service as part of its deferred maintenance program? For several years, NPS maintenance funding has not kept pace with its identified needs. In general, the maintenance needs are almost double the annual funding. Maintenance work is identified through condition assessments on all park assets. Parks are forced to make tough, strategic decisions in order to protect its priority assets and ensure the effective functioning of mission critical infrastructure before addressing deferred maintenance on other park facilities.
Will you join us in this effort?? Your membership dues and any additional one time donations will support us in this current need. It can serve as a lasting legacy to serve the nearly 70,000 visitors at the Florissant Fossil Beds each year.
Enjoy the behind-the scenes tour of the Monument on Saturday June 10th 10 am to 1 pm and see the Seminar Building where your donations will help. Visit the newly renovated “potato barn” and the Cusack barn which daily visitors do not get the chance to explore. We may get a tour of the paleo lab with the new slate of interns who are preparing a remote lab viewing feature to be available to visitors in the media room. Be a part of the development of this newest offering at the Monument. You can see the interior of the newly restored Hornbeck Homestead and learn about what has happened to keep this historical homestead intact for future generations. We will have a barbeque pot luck at the Monument so you can learn more and meet others that are passionate about our park. RSVP appreciated if you can make it: jspg@live.com
Renew on our website www.fossilbeds.org with PayPal or by mail PO Box 851 Florissant, CO 80816
I’m looking forward to meeting you or renewing our friendship!
Patty Glatfelter, President