December, 2016
Dear Friends,
We’ve had a banner year at Carr House! As of mid-October we have had 2,755 visitors, for an average of 44.5 people per day each weekend. The installation of a heating/cooling system in the program room has allowed us to open earlier in the season and stay open through Thanksgiving weekend, which has improved visitation as well as the comfort level of our host, Mike Foster! New signs directing visitors to Carr House have also made a difference. We’ll continue to open earlier and stay open later in the year so we can reach more visitors.
In addition to our regular schedule of programs throughout the year, we’ve hosted group visits from the Haverty family, the Baptist Church social outings group, Southwest Wings, Presbyterian Women’s group and a home school group. It’s fun to host these groups, and it’s also a great way to get the word out about Carr House and everything to see, do, and learn there.
FOHM volunteers participated in the Friends of the San Pedro River gathering at Fairbank, the Friends of the Brown Canyon Ranch Open House, Guano Happens at Kartchner Caverns, and the Borderlands Festival at Coronado Memorial. Again, meeting and greeting people at these events help us spread the word about Carr House and also help us network with other “Friends” groups. If you’d like to join us when we go to these events, just let us know. Extra hands are always welcome, and it’s a great way to get to know people.
With help from our wonderful site hosts, John and Karen Poole over the winter and Jerry and Paula Lucero over the summer, along with our Carr House host, Mike Foster, and our Board of Directors, the following new projects have been completed:
- Rain water harvesting used in both bathrooms this season
- A large banner is now being used on the Carr Canyon Road side of the house
- Bathroom #1 was completely renovated
- We are participating in the Southwest Pollinator Corridors native plant program
- There are 9 new plant identification signs around the house
- Three history banners have been completed and are on display
- We have a Facebook page
- Members can now join and/or renew with Paypal through our website
- A grant was received from Southwest Wings to upgrade the equipment in the programs room. A new and improved experience awaits everyone next season.
We also want to give a big shout-out to our Forest Service representatives, Robert Walter and Ricky Darren. Both have been so helpful – to say we wouldn’t be where we are without them is an understatement. We appreciate their enthusiasm as well as their valuable input. Robert will soon be transitioning to a position with the Bureau of Land Management. We’re sorry to see him go but wish him the best of luck in this new endeavor.
Remember to check our website, www.huachucamountains.org, for up-to-date information, newsletters, links to videos posted by Mike Foster all about our beautiful mountains, important dates, and information on upcoming events.
Carr House will close for the season after the Thanksgiving weekend. We’ll see you in April!
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