[NYSRPS Member] NYSRPS Legislative Alert

Wed Mar 7 07:46:25 EST 2007

Please take a few minutes to review the information below, in support of
the Land and water Conservation Fund, a cornerstone of our federal
legislative advocacy efforts.  If your congressman or congresswoman is
not on list of co-signers, please contact them and ask them to sign the
Dear Colleague letter described below.  If they have signed on, please
thank them for doing so.  Lastly, I will be contacting Senator Schumer's
office and seeking his support, on behalf of our entire Society.  Please
feel free to contact me with any questions, and thank you for your
continuing assistance in our legislative efforts!

Richard Rose, Legislative Chairman, NYSRPS

Senators and Representatives Rally Support for LWCF State Assistance

Call Today and Ask your Legislators to Sign-on "Dear Colleague" Letters

What's Happening: Members of Congress are circulating "Dear Colleague"
letters in the House and the Senate urging members of Congress to join
in support for funding the Land Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) state
assistance program for FY 2008. The President has proposed to terminate
this successful partnership program (administered by the National Park
Service) which provides 50/50 matching grants to help communities
acquire local and state parks and develop outdoor recreation resources.
A similar effort by Congress last year saved the program from
termination and the resulting $30 million could allow up to 400 grants
to aid state and local park and recreation projects across the nation. 

What Needs to be Done: We need your help again to stop this threat of
termination and restore adequate funding the to the LWCF state
assistance program. Ask your legislators to sign-on to these letters of
support!

Who's Doing It: 

In the House Representatives- Rep. James McGovern (D-MA), Rep. Rush Holt
(D-NJ), and Rep. Peter King (R-NY) are circulating a letter requesting
$100 million for LWCF State Assistance. To date, 72 Representatives have
signed on to date. Is your Representative signed on? Check the list, and
if not, please make the call today. Every single member is needed. The
House letter will be accepting signatures until March 15, but may be
extended. 

The House letter can be viewed by clicking the following link:

http://www.nrpa.org/content/default.aspx?documentId=5367
<http://www.nrpa.org/content/default.aspx?documentId=5367>   

The House co-signers are: Abercrombie (D-1st HI), Ackerman (D-5th NY),
Allen (D-1st ME), Baird (D-3rd WA), Baker (R-6th LA), Baldwin (D-2nd
WI), Biggert (R-13th IL), Boucher (D-9th VA), Brown, Henry (R-1st SC),
Capito (R-2nd WV), Capuano (D-8th MA), Christensen (D-VI), Clay (D-1st
MO), Cleaver (D-5th MO), Coble (R-6th NC), Conyers (D-14th MI), Costa
(D-20th CA), Crowley (D-7th NY), Davis (R-11th VA), Doggett (D-25th TX),
Doyle (D-14th PA), Emanuel (D-5th IL), Engel (D-17th NY), Fortuno
(R-PR), Fossella (R-13th NY), Gerlach (R-6th PA), Holt (D-12th NJ),
Hooley (D-5th OR) Johnson, Hank (D-4th GA), King, Peter (R-3rd NY),
Kucinich (D-10th OH), Langevin (D-2nd RI), Lantos (D-12th CA),
LaTourette (R-14th OH), Levin (D-12th MI), LoBiondo (R-2nd NJ), Maloney
(D-14th NY), Markey (D-7th MA), McCarthy (D-4th NY), McCotter (R-11th
MI), McDermott D-7th WA), McGovern (D-3rd MA), Michaud (D-2nd ME),
Miller, George (D-7th CA), Moore, Dennis (D-3rd KS), Jim Moran (D-8th
VA), Murphy (D-5th CT), Nadler (D-8th NY), Neal (D-2nd MA), Oberstar
(D-8th MN), Pallone (D-6th NJ), Payne (D-10th NJ), Perlmutter (D-7th
CO), Petri (R-6th WI), Price (D-4th NC), Reyes (D-16th TX), Saxton
(R-3rd NJ), Schwartz (D-13th PA), Scott (D-13th CA), Skelton (D-4th MO),
Smith (D-9th WA), Snyder (D-2nd AR), Space (D-18th OH), Stark (D-13th
CA), Sutton (D-13th OH), Terry (R-2nd NE), Udall, Mark (D-2nd CA), Van
Hollen (D-8th MD), Walsh (R-25th NY), Wilson, Charlie (D-6th OH), Wu
(D-1st OR)

In the Senate -Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator Ken Salazar
(D-CO), are circulating a letter that requests $125 million for LWCF
State Assistance in the 2008 budget. Signatures will be accepted until
the end of March.

To view the Senate letter click the following link: 

http://www.nrpa.org/content/default.aspx?documentId=5366
<http://www.nrpa.org/content/default.aspx?documentId=5366>   

The Senate co-signers are: Baucus (D-MT), Biden (D-DE), Boxer (D-CA),
Cantwell (D-WA), Cardin (D-MD), Clinton (D-NY), Collins (D-ME), Dodd
(D-CT), Dole (R-NC), Durbin (D-IL), Feingold (D-WI), Harkin (D-IA),
Kennedy (D-MA), Kerry (D-MA), Klobuchar (D-MN), Kohl (D-WI), Levin
(D-MI), Lieberman (I-CT), Lincoln (D-AR), Menendez (D-NJ), Obama (D-IL),
Reed (D-RI), Salazar (D-CO), Sanders (I-VT), Snowe (R-ME), Warner
(R-VA), Wyden (D-OR)

What You Can Do: Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and
ask for the phone numbers of your 2 Senators and your Representative.
When connected, tell them who you are and where you are calling from.
Ask to speak to the staff person that handles Interior Appropriations.
Tell them you are a constituent and an advocate for the Land and Water
Conservation Fund state assistance program. If you are calling your
Representative ask them to sign-on to the McGovern- King- Holt "Dear
Colleague" letter requesting $100 million in funding for Land and Water
Conservation Fund State Assistance in the 2008 budget. If you are
calling a Senator ask them to sign-on to the Salazar-Collins "Dear
Colleague" letter requesting $125 million in funding for Land and Water
Conservation Fund State Assistance in the 2008 budget. Please call all
three of your U.S. legislators-your Representative and both of your
Senators.

To explain why they should support your request, use these key points:

*	You oppose the President's proposal to eliminate the Land and
Water Conservation Fund State Assistance program from the federal budget
in FY 2008 because this is a valuable program that has produced many
positive results in your state and your community. 
*	LWCF State Assistance totals $575 million over the last 6 years.
This is an average of almost $100 million each year. 
*	98% of American counties have received LWCF grants including
yours. 
*	If you know what LWCF State Assistance has done for your
community, tell which parks and recreation resources it has aided, and
what a positive impact this has had in your district. (You can find
projects in your county by going to http://www.nps.gov/lwcf
<http://www.nps.gov/lwcf>    
*	The LWCF state/local program matches funds 50/50 to assist in
parks and recreation to create new public parks and develop public
recreation resources. Local and state governments match the federal
investment dollar for dollar, and often, many times more. Local
communities agree to protect the parks in perpetuity and make them open
for recreation and public access. 
*	These funds help to develop sports fields, neighborhood parks,
and community gathering places. 
*	LWCF serves a vital national need-- the need to get the American
public active and healthy, which they can best do by recreating at
close-to-home recreation facilities and parks aided by the LWCF State
Assistance. 
*	In the 40 year life of the LWCF, nearly 40,000 local and state
projects have been completed. Virtually every one of these recreation
resources is still in existence today. 

If you are unsure who your U.S. legislators are you can type in your zip
code at www.congress.org <http://www.congress.org/>  or ask the just ask
the Capitol Switchboard operator at 202-224-3121. 

Be sure to thank any legislator that has signed on, and if you gain
their support, send a thank you. Please report feedback from
congressional offices to mphillips at nrpa.org <mailto:mphillips at nrpa.org>
or call 202-887-0290. Want to learn more? Go to http://www.nps.gov/lwcf
<http://www.nps.gov/lwcf>  and also www.nrpa.org <http://www.nrpa.org/>

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