Thanksgiving Thoughts_030436

November 25, 2013 Posted by: Jim  Ireland

It has been a busy week.  We plowed snow, attended the annual AF Canyon Fee Partnership meeting, presented ranger talks in local schools, hosted a multi-agency scoping meeting for the American Fork City water system rehabilitation project, met with our Western National Parks Association area manager, reviewed last year’s employee accidents, wrote a funding request for facility repairs for damage caused by last summer’s thunderstorms, drafted next year’s operating budget, shipped a gun to NASA, and much more.


When we get this busy, it is easy to forget to pause and say thanks.  In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to offer some words of thanks on behalf of Timp Cave and its staff.

We are thankful for the foresight of our ancestors in protecting our watershed - its mountains, canyons, rivers, and wildlife that we all enjoy today.  We are particularly grateful for those local citizens, back in 1922, who saw the need to protect and preserve Timpanogos Cave for us and our children, and whose vision and positive civic involvement led to its designation as a National Monument. We hope that the decisions we make today will be viewed with equal gratitude by those in the years to come.

This year, I am especially thankful for:

Our volunteers - adults, youth groups, and teenage BATS - who give so freely of their time and energy to help our visitors and protect our caves;

The Friends of Timpanogos Cave (http://friendsoftimpanogoscave.org/), community members who have come together to help build support, attract donations, and promote local involvement in order to improve our facilities and services;

The Lone Peak Fire Department, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, the Utah Department of Transportation, and all of our local partners who keep us safe, respond to our emergencies, and keep our roads open;

The staff of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest who support us every day;

The park staff and their families, who meet the challenges of everything from severe summer thunderstorms to budget uncertainty with grace, hard work, and professionalism; and, of course,

The opportunity to live and work in such a beautiful and special place, and for the trust you place in us;

In my next blog, I’ll begin to share some of our planning efforts for next summer and beyond, but for now let me wish each of you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.  May we all find much to be thankful for this week and in the year ahead.

Timp Cave blog, Timpanogos Cave Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Thoughts



Last updated: November 25, 2013

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American Fork, UT 84003

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