ACA action alert..for those not part of ACA

[Sir Adam]

(and yes, I DO think everyone should be a member of SOME conservation group, be it ACA, AW (formerly AWA), Friends of the Cheat (or your local river))

Posted by request of a few fellow CBoats.net members (including us!)

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ACA Action Alert!

March 1, 2007

A Call to Action from the American Canoe Association

Call, Write or Email Your Senator to Support the Land and Water
Conservation Fund!

Your action is needed TODAY in support of this very important,
non-partisan opportunity.

What is the Land and Water Conservation Fund and what does it have
to do with paddling?
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was created in 1964 to
secure more open space and enhance outdoor recreation for Americans.

There are two parts to the Fund, the federal part and the state part.


The federal part helps federal agencies like the National Park
Service, USFS and BLM acquire land to be part of their systems (many
of which offer prime outdoor recreation and paddling opportunities).

The state part helps state government develop their outdoor
recreation and open space resources (like a trail to the put-in of
your favorite local run).

To learn about how much LWCF money has been spent in your state,
click here http://waso-lwcf.ncrc.nps.gov/public/index.cfm

To view a detailed list of the LWCF projects in your state, follow
this link http://waso-lwcf.ncrc.nps.gov/reports/table13a.cfm and select your state.

Why Does the Fund Need Support from YOU?

Though the Fund automatically gets hundreds of millions of dollars in
royalty fees that energy companies pay to the government, the money
only goes to open space and outdoor recreation if the President asks
for it and Congress decides to spend it!

This year, the President asked for an outrageous amount of money for
the Fund's state program -- $0.

Luckily, a couple of Senators (Ken Salazar, a Democrat from Colorado
and Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine) are coming to the rescue
by trying to rally the Senate to change the $0 to $125 million.

Senators listen to each other, but they listen the most to the people
that put them in office - people like YOU.

Take Action:

1) Go to http://www.senate.gov and identify your TWO senators.

2) Click through to their websites.

3) Send them an email, or give them a call and ask them to support
the "Salazar-Collins LWCF Dear Colleague Letter."
Click here: http://www.americancanoe.org/pdf/sen08lwcfcolltr.pdf
see a copy of their cover letter: http://www.americancanoe.org/pdf/senate ... appltr.pdf

4) Be sure to tell them that as a paddler you value open space and
outdoor recreation opportunities in your great state.

5) Encourage your paddling friends (and climbing, hiking, mountain
biking and skiing friends for that matter) to weigh-in with their
Senators too.

6) Sit-back, put your feet up and feel good that you are helping make
democracy work for canoeing, kayaking and rafting!

Extra Credit: Contact ACA's Director of Stewardship and Public Policy
Paul Sanford to let us know what
you did.

THANK YOU!

American Canoe Association, www.americancanoe.org --

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