Carl S. Bat

This message is to confirm your request submission to the FOIAonline application: View Request. Request information is as follows: (https://foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/submissionDetails?trackingNumber=DOI-NPS-2023-005342&type=Request)

* Tracking Number: DOI-NPS-2023-005342
* Requester Name:
Nicholas Marritz
* Date Submitted: 07/03/2023
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description:
Dear National Park Service:

This is a request for records under the Freedom of Information Act.

RECORDS REQUESTED:

I am seeking records related to NPS mascot Carl S. Bat, mascot for Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Specifically, I request the following records:

1. Please produce all records related to the conception, creation, and design/re-design of the Carl S. Bat mascot. Please include any contracts or design concepts (e.g. sketches) in your production, as well as any records related to NPS's decision to create a mascot for Carlsbad Caverns in the first place.

2. Please produce all Carl S. Bat-related promotional items, educational items, or tchotchkes, past or present, that took the form of records, such as trading cards, posters, videos, worksheets, or books (including but not limited to coloring books, activity books, or comic books).

3. Please produce all records related to the conception, creation, design, and use of any wearable Carl S. Bat costumes. (The attached screenshots from NPS's social media suggest that Carl's costume got an update sometime between 2014 and 2022, so please produce records for the different versions.) Responsive records would include contracts for the design or production of such a costume; design proposals or sketches; correspondence with the designer or manufacturer; and any guidelines related to the use of or care for the costume.

4. Please produce all communications related to Carl S. Bat.

5. Please produce all correspondence related to Carl S. Bat (or to mascots in general) sent to or from any member of Congress, their office, or their staff. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) may have sent some responsive correspondence around 2007, and Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) may have sent some around 2019.

6. Please produce all records related to any proposal or decision to stop using Carl S. Bat as part of NPS's public outreach.

REQUEST FOR FEE WAIVER:

The requested documents will be made available to the general public online for free, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes. I am working on a project examining the history, creation, evolution, and use of mascots across the federal government—because, like many others, I find them fascinating and weirdly delightful. Thus, I respectfully request that any fees related to this request be waived. If you do decide to charge me fees, please notify me in advance if you expect those fees to exceed $25.

FORM OF PRODUCTION:

I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or on CD-ROM if not.

CONCLUSION:

Thank you very much for your cooperation with this request. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

Nicholas Marritz

Attachments:

https://cdn.muckrock.com/outbound_composer_attachments/nmarritz/123737/Screen_Shot_2023-06-30_at_3.35.03_PM.png
https://cdn.muckrock.com/outbound_composer_attachments/nmarritz/123737/Screen_Shot_2023-06-30_at_2.06.27_PM.png
Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/

Your request for Fee Waiver for the FOIA request DOI-NPS-2023-005342 has been
fully granted.

* Fee Waiver Original Justification:
The requested documents will be made available to the general public online for free, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes. I am working on a project examining the history, creation, evolution, and use of mascots across the federal government—because, like many others, I find them fascinating and weirdly delightful. Thus, I respectfully request that any fees related to this request be waived. If you do decide to charge me fees, please notify me in advance if you expect those fees to exceed $25.
* Fee Waiver Disposition Reason:
N/A

Mr. Marritz,
On 07 /3/2023 the National Park Service (NPS) received your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, dated 07/3/2023, and assigned it control number DOI - NPS-2023-005342. Please cite this number in any future communications with our office regarding your request.

We have classified you as an “other-use” requester.  As such, we may charge you for some of our search and duplication costs, but we will not charge you for our review costs; you are also entitled to up to 2 hours of search time and 100 pages of photocopies (or an equivalent volume) for free. See .  If, after taking into consideration your fee category entitlements, our processing costs are less than $50.00, we will not bill you because the cost of collection would be greater than the fee collected. (https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecfr.gov%2Fcgi-bin%2Ftext-idx%3Fc%3Decfr%26sid%3D0fc3ab3499768eebc2e3691c8cf88dec%26rgn%3Ddiv5%26view%3Dtext%26node%3D43%3A1.1.1.1.2%26idno%3D43%2343%3A1.1.1.1.2.7.5.3&data=05%7C01%7CIMR_FOIA%40nps.gov%7C50c3406baef44b92f23a08dafe161e65%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C638101668226056423%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=LfCnRsTv9HeqjZyAxao%2B%2Bv0TRAp%2BqUx%2B6YRuwdzTwdU%3D&reserved=0) 43 C.F.R. § 2.39 See 43 C.F.R. § 2.37(g) .
REQUESTED FEE WAIVER:
You have asked us to waive the fees for processing your request.  Our FOIA regulations state that bureaus will waive, or partially waive, fees if disclosure of all or part of the information is:

(1) In the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public
understanding of government operations or activities, and

(2) Not primarily in your commercial interest.

We have determined that you meet the fee waiver criteria and thus have granted your request to waive fees. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
-Theodore Roosevelt

Alison Yamato
Government Information Specialist
NPS FOIA Officer - Intermountain Region
Department of Interior Regions 6, 7 & 8
12795 W Alameda Pkwy
Lakewood, CO 80228