SPECIAL LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND (LWCF) ALERT - April 2005

For many years the National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS) has been actively campaigning to protect the land so it doesn't become over-developed and is available for ballparks, athletic fields, and recreational facilities. Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is the flag we have been carrying advocating to restore full government funding. We once again need your help. Below is a simple way for you to make a difference in public policy to protect our youth programs. Thank you for your never-ending support!

Stateside LWCF was zeroed out in the President's budget request and federal LWCF was significantly cut. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees will determine the future funding, if any, for LWCF in the coming weeks. Because of this precarious situation, AHR has created a "Speak out for Parks" campaign to raise visibility for this vital program.

All you have to do is call our toll-free phone number at 1-888-FIX-LWCF and tell us about your favorite park and how LWCF has been instrumental in creating, developing, or enhancing the elements that make it your favorite place.

We will collect these stories from LWCF activists from across the country, post them on our web site, distribute them to media for radio and blog feeds, and deliver them to members of Congress in the form of CD-Roms. Because you will be asked to punch in your zip code prior to recording the message, we will know which area of the country you are calling from and will feed that message into local press. We encourage LWCF activists of all stripes, from youth sports participants to backcountry campers, to call about why you love your park. The campaign will run the entire month of April, so there is time to get this message out to your network. But, please don't delay!

Here are three easy things you can do:

Call into the 1-888-FIX-LWCF hotline and leave a message about your favorite park: We will be using these messages for media efforts, so leave any message in support of LWCF, such as "I like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park because it provides habitat for endangered species and LWCF has been a big part of acquiring land for that purpose..." or "My Little League team relies on LWCF to enhance our local baseball fields, so our kids get a chance to participate in our nation's pastime..." or "Hiking the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail has been made easier through the work of LWCF, please restore funding for this program..." Be creative, but concise (two minutes or less) And, do not forget to leave your name and the city you are calling from.

Post the Alert on Your Web site: We can work with your online activist manager to fit the right type of alert on your web site. Or you can link to AHR's web site where we will post the alert.

Send it out on your electronic networks: This is a great public education campaign that will get your members more engaged in this issue and with your other policy work, too.