Grotto WNS Rapid Response Donation Challenge

[reeffish1073]

Hey all! with the recient developments and spread of WNS. our grotto is planning on donating some funds to the WNS Rapid Response Fund. From what i have read, there funds are almost exhausted!!! With 200 grottos in the NSS, if every grotto donated 100 dollars that would be 20,000.00 or if 200 was donated that would be 40,000.00 and so on. These funds are benificial to researchers, to combat and find the answers to what WNS is and how it is spread. So I am asking grottos to make a donation to help preserve the bats that we protect and care about so dear!

Thanks
John Christie

[Kevin Bruff]

i like this idea, i know not every grotto has the funds to do this but there are a lot of ones that do and this can help.

[reeffish1073]

was hopeing more people would chime in by now!

[Kevin Bruff]

with a situation as grave as this one is, I'm surprised NO ONE has chimed in.

[Cheryl Jones]

Good idea! You now just need to really get the word out to grottos and encourage responses. Some ideas:

You might put together an dynamic announcement and ask Keith Wheeland, IO Committee Chairman, to circulate it to IOs in his next admin e-letter. And send the announcement to Dave Bunnell (include "NSS" in the subject of the e-mail) to place in the next NSS News. Then place the announcement here and ask cavers to post it to their caver list-servs.

Perhaps grottos who don't have the money in the bank could figure out a way to raise funds or ask members to donate.

Thanks for the idea and for taking this on.

Cheryl

[reeffish1073]

Thanks Cheryl

Its nice to get some help and ideas to get the word out! I did not know about these other channels to help get the ball rolling! hopefully we can get some funds available for the rapid response!

thanks
John Christie

[mgmills]

was hopeing more people would chime in by now!

I had only been 24 hours since the intitial post when you made this comment and it was late Saturday night when the initial post was made. Some people only read this board when they are at work.

Also, people can't really speak for their grotto. I know the grotto (Sewanee Mountain Grotto) at which I attend meetings meets next Saturday (3/14). I have printed out information about the fund and plan to make a presentation and a motion that we donate money to this fund. The amount I plan to suggest is $300 but the grotto may choose to increase or decrease the amount I propose.

I don't think people are ignoring the post. It is just that we can't make decisions without the group. I'd love to be able to make a personal donation and probably will but it will be in the neighborhood of $10-$20 dollars due to limited personal funds. I am considering also suggesting a "pass the hat" at the next grotto meeting to challenge others to match the small donation I will be able to make personally.

[cavergirl]

I gave a presentation on WNS to the SERA winter business meeting on saturday. my last slide was a request for donations to the rapid response fund complete with the website and NSS mailing address. I also passed the "hat" (actually a bat bowl) and got $45.00 on the spot. every little bit helps. I'll be giving this same presentation to my grotto in 2 weeks.

[PYoungbaer]

Thank you all for doing this - it is sorely needed, and every bit helps.

This issue of the NSS News, the conservation issue, has an article on WNS, and info about the Rapid Response Fund. I know it's beginning to arrive in mailboxes, having gotten some feedback already (but mine hasn't arrived yet).

I also sent a posting to Val Hildreth-Werker and Steve Smith for posting on the Conservancies and Grotto networks, but haven't seen it arrive yet either. That should reach all the grottos.

Peter Youngbaer
NSS 16161
WNS Liaison

[reeffish1073]

Hey all

I know my grotto will be meeting on the first Friday in April. At this time it will go before our members to vote on a donation for the WNS rapid response fund. I feel pretty positive that money will be sent. I know alot of other grottos are the same way with voteing on issuses and such. I hope to hear moore in the near future about grottos sending funds for this. Please if your grotto is sending some funds for WNS rapid response, do tell. You do not have to list the amount, this is not a contest, but more of a way to challenge ourselves to keep our caves open and get our bat populations healthy again!

thanks
John Christie

[reeffish1073]

Well i was hopeing to see other grottos post something here before i reposted on this topic. Since my last post, the Fish and Wildlife Service has increased the moritorium range which now affects all the North East includeing Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina. As we can now see this is spreading, and affecting responsible cavers access to caves in these states. I know my grotto alone the Flittermouse grotto of Ashville NC. has donated $500 for the rapid response fund. along with about $180 more given by our members to also go to the fund!!! I know MEG, Mountain Empire grotto of the Bristol area gave around $200 to the rapid response fund as well! Are there any other grottos out there that have donated funds for the cause???? Only by getting funds to several much needed research projects will hopefully get us access back into our caves we love and save the bats that live in them!!!

thanks