Park’s ringtail needs naming
Submissions for Guadalupe mascot being taken on Facebook or by email
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is asking for help in naming their new mascot: a ringtail.
Elizabeth Jackson, chief of interpretation at the park, said the mascot is intended to increase awareness of the importance of protecting wilderness.
“We felt it was time to establish a mascot,” Jackson said. “We wanted to pick a species that was not as well known and was very cute and curious.”
The ringtail is the park’s first mascot since it was established in 1972.
Ringtails are nocturnal, raccoonlike carnivores that are found throughout the desert Southwest, including in the Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
“A lot of our campers see them,” Jackson said.
Jackson said she worked for several months with a Columbus, Ohio-based company to get the design of the mascot just right.
“We wanted it to be as anatomically correct as possible,” she said.
The tail on the costume is to scale, she said. Small notches in the ears, which help ringtails to hear better, were also included.
The area’s climate was also taken into account.
Jackson said the costume has several fans built in to keep air constantly circulating through it.
Missing, though, are any indications of the mascot’s sex.
“We intentionally did not say whether it’s a male or female,” Jackson said.
Names suggested on the park’s Facebook page so far include “Ringo,” “Tooter,” “Wallace” and “Ricky.”
Votes will be accepted through the end of the day today and may be submitted on the park’s Facebook page or by emailing gumo_ administration@nps.gov.
Jackson said names already suggested may be “liked” on Facebook.
The name will be announced on Saturday.
Jackson said the mascot will make its big debut at several events during National Park Week on April 15 through 23.
Neighboring Carlsbad Caverns National Park already has its own mascot: “Carl S. Bat,” a Brazilian free-tailed bat.