Willie Nelson

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Two hundred and forty football fields an hour from now until the year 2030. That’s how much open space is expected to be lost to development.

Two hundred and forty football fields an hour from now until the year 2030. 

People in communities like yours from all across the country want to stop this from happening. They want to save the forests and other open spaces in their hometowns.

Protecting forests and open spaces is fraught with challenges, but help could be on the way. Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY 20th) is about to offer an amendment to the 2007 Farm Bill that would

create a Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program.

This initiative would provide matching funds to help county or local governments and nonprofit organizations acquire forestlands and open space in their communities that would

benefit their local economies, culture, and environment.

Time is short for passing this amendment, and your representative, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, is crucially important to its success.

Please call your representative to express

your strong support for this legislation.

We’ve provided talking points below.

Note that the more personal and individual your message, the more it means - so feel free to speak from the heart about why you think giving people a new way to save important lands is necessary.

Thank you so much for taking action!

Sincerely,
Kathy Kilmer

P.S. If you absolutely do not have time to make a phone call,  send a letter now.

Make the Call, Please!

Representative Lincoln Davis

(202) 225-6831

When you call, you’ll get an answering machine or someone taking a message. State your name and address, and then

please use the talking points below:

I’m calling you to ask that my Representative vote yes on the farm bill amendment to create the Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program.

I care about open spaces issues because … (state why you care in your own words).
This program will help communities help themselves, and

I am counting on Representative Davis to give it full support.

Background
More than 40 million acres of forestlands - including major watersheds - are expected to be lost to development by 2030. Few communities have the necessary capacity to conserve forestlands that protect their water supplies and enhance recreational opportunities, scenic beauty and quality of life for local residents.

Many affected communities are responding to this challenge by establishing community forests to keep forested parcels intact. The federal government can be an important catalyst for these efforts, by providing matching funds that leverage and encourage state, local and private funding sources to conserve threatened community forests and open spaces.

Community forests can provide an increasingly urban and suburban population with opportunities to enjoy forests close to home.

These forests are essential for future generations to experience

and learn about forests and the wonders of nature.

The Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program will help American communities conserve forests important for watershed protection, outdoor recreation, wildlife habitat and sustainable forest management.

The program would:

Establish community forests that would be owned by communities,

Have a management plan subject to a public process,

Provide technical assistance to communities for community forest management, and,

Be established under the U.S. Forest Service in cooperation

with appropriate state and local government.

Take Action
Your representative is a member of the House Agriculture Committee, the first major hurdle for this legislation. Please take action now and urge your Representative to support this program.

If you’d like to write your own letter, there is a sample below.

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Representative:

I’m contacting you today because your membership on the House Agriculture Committee gives you the chance to vote ‘yes’ on Congresswoman Gillibrand’s amendment to the 2007 Farm Bill, which creates a Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program.

I believe in helping communities that are helping themselves, which is exactly what this program does by providing federal assistance to help them acquire and manage threatened forest lands. I ask you to vote in favor of this program and to do everything you can to guide it through full approval by the House.

Forestland is disappearing at an astonishing rate,

but there’s still time to protect our quality of life by preserving forestland in our district through Congresswoman Gillibrand’s amendment.

Sincerely,
[your name and address]

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Tags: Environment, Peace

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