While Carlsbad is well known for quite a bit, including oil and gas, Trevor Rogers, WIPP, Christmas on the Pecos and potash – Carlsbad Caverns National Park will probably always be our primary reason for international fame. When you meet someone out of town and mention Carlsbad, our incredible nearby national park is always the first thing to come up.
This week, Carmen Chapin was announced as the Superintendent of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. She has more than 17 years of National Park Service experience and previously served as the chief of natural resources for the National Park Service Region 1 office. She assumes her role here on Jan. 16.
According to a press release, Chapin recently completed a six-month acting position as the superintendent of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Through her National Park Service career, she has served as the program manager for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and as the coordinator for the Great Lakes Exotic Plant Management Team. She has also completed acting assignments as the associate regional director for resources stewardship and science for Region 1, the chief of biologic resources for the Washington D.C. Area Support Office, and as the superintendent at Fort Smith National Historic Site. Chapin holds a PhD in Ecology from the University of Notre Dame. In Chapin’s spare time she enjoys hiking, traveling, gardening, and cooking.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is obviously the cornerstone of our tourism industry, and visitation has been very high over the past year. The City of Carlsbad and the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce therefore work very closely with the Caverns on a wide variety of issues. We look forward to developing a strong relationship with Ms. Chapin. The goal is always for visitors to Carlsbad Caverns National Park to also check out other attractions such as the Living Desert, Sitting Bull Falls, Six Mile Dam, Guadalupe Mountains National Park and the Carlsbad Museum. Of course, we also want everyone to have a great dining and lodging experience and recommend Carlsbad to their family and friends.
This is just the tourism side of Carlsbad Caverns- it is also, of course, an important location for scientific research and a national treasure. Please join us in welcoming Carmen Chapin to Carlsbad.
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Before Christmas, we had a great meeting with Kimberly and Eddie Sanchez, who talked to us about their Youth Development Incorporated (YDI) program. YDI is a Community Base Prevention Intervention Reunification program that assists with a variety of issues such as family reunification services, prevention awareness, and by providing support services. Basically, YDI receives funding to help provide critical services to families where the need is greatest. The overall goal is to keep children and families safe. For more information, please contact Kimberely Sanchez at (505) 907-4673 or ksanchez@ydinm.org, or Eddie Sanchez at (505) 930-4032 or esanchez@ydinm.org. You can also visit ydinm.org for information about the state organization.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway