I am posting this for my husband since he is not signed up for TriFL and FML. [Forwarded by Diane Campbell] Hi Folks, It has not been my habit to ask for donations in the past, so I find it a little difficult to do so now. Diane and I have purchased a house in the foothills of North Carolina. We were looking for the perfect environment to allow us to continue providing care and support for the ferrets that come to our shelter. We have found such a place and will be moving in during the summer. Our new home has a detached two car garage that will be reconstructed for the indoor shelter. We have had this dream for quite a while to provide a natural living environment for the ferrets. We will build an open air enclosure next to and attached to the garage to provide such a living area for the fuzzies. This enclosure will measure 24 feet by 24 feet, will be constructed of concrete walls about 1 foot above, and two feet below ground level, with a "floor" constructed of galvanized 1/4" screen mesh wire between 6" of gravel to prevent a tunneling escape. The rest of the enclosure (roof and walls) will be framed, wired and screened to snake/mosquito/critter/bird proof. The ferrets will have a passage from the indoor shelter into the open air enclosure at will. The area will be backfilled with a mixture of sand and dirt, filtered water fall/pond, rocks, non-poison plants, grass and 400+ feet of tunnel below and above ground and nest boxes with access above ground. We were shocked when we priced this project. For the grading, gravel, and concrete work alone, we are looking at $8,500 just to start. We presently have, in hand, $5,000 for the project. Again, I am not one to "beg" for donations, but we feel that this is a very important addition to the well being of our furry friends. There are so many additional costs that we will be covering in preparation for, and during the move, that I feel the need to ask anyone and everyone who can afford it to assist us with this need. We need to raise these additional funds by the end of May in order to start construction. If we have to make another loan to complete the payment, this fundraiser will continue until the loan is paid off. If you can pledge funds for this project, please do so. I really do not want to give the contractor the green light until we are sure we can raise the additional funds needed. A very dear friend to Diane and the shelter has donated her time to host the website www.fgrh.org <http://www.fgrh.org/> with information for donations. We will post pictures, raffles and updates as construction progresses. All donations will go to "Natural Area Fundraiser" and full disclosure of accounts receivable/payable will be made public. There will be no misappropriation of monies received. Any funds remaining after the completion of the natural area will be put to a vote as to how the shelter will spend the money or be refunded, if they wish. Donations can be sent through PayPal to the email address: [log in to unmask] Checks should be made out to FGRH "N.A. Fund" and should be mailed to: Ferret Guardian Rescue Haven, Inc. Natural Area Fundraiser P.O. Box 2160 Statesville, NC 28687 All donations are tax deductible. If you need further information, please email Diane at [log in to unmask] or Anthony at [log in to unmask] . If you are having a difficult time picturing what we are attempting to construct, please visit http://trickytrixie.tripod.com/natenclosure.htm Marie has given us permission to link to her site. Thank you, Marie. Our designs are a little different, but the idea is about the same. Any assistance you can provide will be greatly appreciated by not only Diane and me but by over 100 dancing fuzz balls who will love playing in the dirt and grass. Best Regards, Anthony Campbell Ferret Guardian Rescue Haven Treasurer. [Posted in FML 5963]