CARA, H.R. 701

Write to Request An Editorial Board Meeting: Always write to the Editorial Page Editor and ask for a meeting with the editorial staff (larger newspapers will have a specific person assigned to environmental or health issues, while smaller ones will have one person in charge of the editorial page. Call the editorial page phone number of your newspaper to find out whom you should send your request to about setting up an editorial board meeting). You should include a short cover letter detailing the importance of CARA and how the programs contained in the bill affect the readers of the editor’s newspaper. Include supporting information in your packet, but limit the number of articles to three or four, as editors are busy and will not read more than a few pages.

Call to Confirm the Meeting:Follow up your letter with a telephone call to make sure the editor has received your request. You will want to call early in the week because editors become busy towards the end of the week when they are preparing for larger weekend editions. Leave as many voice-mail messages as it takes to get set up the meeting. Be persistent, but courteous. Newspaper editors are very busy people, so it may take some time to get an answer. Make sure you have crafted a succinct explanation for CARA that you can use in your voice-mail messages. If you know reporters with the newspaper, ask them to help guide your request through the often-bureaucratic channels within newspaper companies.

Make a Professional Presentation:Thoroughly prepare yourself and other colleagues for the meeting. You will want to limit the number of participants to no more than five local leaders, including yourself. Bring a diverse group of local leaders that may include landowners, business experts, historians, recreation specialists, elected and non-elected officials, smart growth proponents, wildlife advocates, youth sports leaders and other important members of the community. The participants should be well versed about the campaign to revitalize conservation funding and the legislation. It is important to note that newspapers look at themselves as local entities and are therefore more apt to support issues that have positive effects on the municipalities where their newspapers are sold. Make sure you come to the meeting prepared to answer questions about how these programs have benefited the local community. Also, be aware of both the current federal and state conservation needs for the area.

Follow up:Make sure you get a commitment from the newspaper to either run an editorial about CARA or cover the issue in an article or series of articles. Provide them with the necessary materials to write the editorial. Keep in touch with reporters and other staff of the newspaper to get further stories covered in the publication. Always write a handwritten note to the editorial page editor to thank them for the editorial

	Utilize the Media for Parks and Wildlife:
	Write and Place an
	Opinion Editorial on the
	Conservation and Reinvestment Act

Most newspapers publish an opinion editorial page next to the editorial page. The newspaper’s staff, syndicated columnists, or national and community opinion leaders often write the articles. Although most newspapers keep an open mind in determining the content of their opinion editorials, some newspapers will be more inclined to publish an opinion piece on conservation funding than others. That’s why it is important to research the newspaper in advance to understand what kind of editorials it publishes, as well as what issues are covered in the stories. Remember that a newspaper will not publish a story unless it feels it represents a unique or different perspective.

When you have decided to write an opinion editorial, arrange a meeting with the opinion editorial page editor to discuss your ideas and the subject you wish to write about for the newspaper. If they agree to publish your editorial, make sure you get the details on how long the story should be and vehemently observe all deadlines. Finally, if the story is printed, write a thank you note to the editor and keep in touch to update them with additional information on the conservation funding campaign.

What to Say in a CARA Opinion Editorial:

When writing an opinion editorial, consider the following outline:

1. Give a Concise, but Thorough, Background on the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA, H.R. 701)

Remember, the majority of people reading the story may not have an understanding of the issue. Give a thoughtful, yet brief, background on the issue before venturing into more details of the campaign.

2. Embolden your Message Citing National Trends That Show Support for Revitalizing Conservation Funding

Some factors that favor revitalizing LWCF include a strong economy; the recent successful passage of open space initiatives in the previous tow election years; the bipartisan support for the issue; the strength and diversity of the constituency; and the feelings of leaving a legacy to our children engendered by the new millennium.

3. Localize the Story

Although the conservation programs under CARA have been responsible for the acquisition and development of millions of acres of parks, forest, and recreation areas, and the protection of countless wildlife and historic areas, the audience for your opinion editorial will want to know how the program affects their community. Provide the reader with specific examples of well-known local parks, recreations centers, and wildlife refuges and give some examples of how dedicated conservation funding can benefit the community in the future.

4. Highlight the Success of Congressional Support of CARA

The opinion editorial allows you to stress the importance of support for CARA from both local and national elected officials. Draw attention to the fact that more than 317 members of Congress have signed onto the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA, H.R. 701).

5. Get the Right Individual to Sign the Opinion Editorial

A local newspaper is more apt to allow a community leader to author an editorial. Do you want the focus of the article to be about recreation? Then it makes sense during your grassroots constituency-building to find a local athlete or coach who may have some name recognition or standing in the community. Other potential authors could be local “smart growth” leaders, recreation businesses, historic preservationists, wildlife activists or managers, local elected officials, or other members of the community who are recognized for a specific skill or leadership trait.