"Protect America's Land for Recreation"

As the Fourth of July approaches, Americans from across the country will be using parks and recreation areas to gather together and reaffirm their faith in family and community. America’s parks are integral parts of community life for millions of people nationwide. They provide places for Americans to experience the outdoors, whether it’s in a canoe, on foot, on a bike or from a tent. Parks are where families picnic and where children learn to play ball. They serve as venues for people to gather, recuperate from modern life, and appreciate aspects of what makes America special.

Many Americans take parks for granted and assume that these places will always be there, maintained in a manner consistent with the recreational needs of nearby neighborhoods, and perpetually able to accommodate the increasing population that uses these sites. But this is not so, and LWCF and UPARR have been underfunded by Congress due to a lack of education about the programs at the state and local levels. Communities enjoy the benefits of enhanced recreational opportunities at their local parks without understanding how these places exist and persist.

That is why we have chosen July as "LWCF Media Month," so that we can once again begin the process of educating the public and decision-makers about how LWCF funding is faring at the beginning of this century. We have selected a couple of action items that you can do during the month of July to generate press about the funding cuts that are undermining LWCF's ability to provide recreational enhancement at the local level. Please take a few moments this month to write a letter-to-the-editor and to place an opinion editorial in your local newspapers. We have supplied a sample opinion editorial and letter-to-the-editor below, along with some tips on how to successfully accomplish the tasks. If you have specific questions, please reply to this email with your questions. Thanks for taking the time to do this. Have a safe and outdoor recreation-filled Holiday!

Utilizing the Media for LWCF

1. The Op-Ed: the Opinion Editorial Op-eds are a great way to have your say in a format that allows you a chance to communicate your point of view on LWCF in greater detail than a letter to the editor. A good op-ed tells what’s going on, how the other side deals with it, and what can be done. But most importantly, it relates why anyone should care about LWCF. You may also co-author an op-ed piece with an influential community member thereby increasing the chance your piece will be printed.

A Few Tips: Keep it short; usually 600-700 words. The newspaper can exercise considerable control on length and some extent to content. Make it personal. Use some of your own experiences and relate the issue to the average reader. Use plain language -- avoid acronyms and bill numbers. Revise and rewrite. Check all facts carefully. Contact the paper and ask for the op-ed editor and let them know you have a piece you would like to submit.

2. Letters-to-the-editor
The letters-to-the-editor (LTE) section of your local newspaper presents an ideal forum for getting out the LWCF message to its readers, be they local citizens or members of your congressional delegation. More people read the letters-to-the-editor section than almost any other part of the paper.

A Few Tips: Be clear and concise. Focus on one point and make a compelling case. Include the name of the signer, address, and daytime phone number -- newspapers always check with the person who signed the letter before printing.

How to Place a Land and Water Conservation Fund Opinion Editorial
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 the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) 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 LWCF 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 LWCF campaign.

What to Say in an LWCF Opinion Editorial

Please feel free to use the LWCF opinion editorial below for your purposes. If you want to write your own, consider the following outline: 1. Give a Concise, But Thorough, Background on LWCF 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. Localize the Story
Although the Land and Water Conservation Fund has been responsible for the acquisition of millions of acres of parks, forest, and recreation areas, the audience for your opinion editorial will want to know how the program affects their area. Provide the reader with specific examples of well-known local parks and recreations centers and give some examples of how LWCF can benefit the community in the future.

3. Highlight the Need for Congressional Support of LWCF
The opinion editorial allows you to stress the importance of support for LWCF from both local and national elected officials. Draw attention to the fact that full funding for LWCF will not occur without leadership from members of Congress.

4. 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, local elected officials, or other members of the community who are recognized for a specific skill or leadership trait.

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Sample LWCF Opinion Editorial

Not Too Late to Protect America’s Land and Water Resources

This summer, millions of Americans are heading outdoors to take advantage of recreation opportunities made possible by our nation’s unequaled system of local, state, and federal public lands. These close-to-home recreation areas are where we celebrate the birth of our nation with picnics and fireworks displays, enjoy family reunions and vacations, and experience the outdoors through the variety of public places that make America special.

This tremendous system of public lands and recreation areas has been dramatically enhanced by the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a federal program, which after nearly forty years is in peril. LWCF’s two programs-a state grant program that has provided support for more than 39,000 state and local parks, and a federal program that creates and enhances national parks, forests and wildlife refuges-work together to conserve America’s vast land and water resources.

LWCF is a rare bird: a government program that works effectively. It allows the federal government to better manage its public lands while also assisting states with much-needed funding to leverage state, local and private dollars to enhance the close-to-home recreation facilities that we all love. LWCF is America's premier conservation tool, providing safer, cleaner, and healthier places for Americans to fish, swim, hike, bike, play ball, and picnic with family members and friends.

Since the inception of LWCF, has received millions of dollars for park enhancement and creation to ensure that future generations can enjoy our legacy of beautiful open spaces. One of the greatest strengths of this program is its diversity--the ability to provide for multiple needs that we have seen in and across the nation. From parks to playgrounds, wilderness to wetlands, open trails to open spaces, LWCF is a proven success story.

The need for LWCF continues in and across the United States. Growing population and interest in health and the outdoors have increased our needs for recreation and open spaces. However, instead of full funding for LWCF, we have seen a drop in dollars to fulfill these expanding needs.

Responsibility for this disappointment can be laid on many shoulders. In 2000, after mayors and governors teamed up with a wide variety of conservationists, outdoor recreation businesses and leaders, civic groups, youth sports proponents, and public health advocates from all fifty states, Congress sought a solution to America’s dwindling open space and recreation areas. Ultimately, they created the Conservation Trust Fund, a six-year federal program designed to increase funding for LWCF and a number of other conservation initiatives. With this new mechanism at their disposal, Congress was building momentum for significant increases in funding for LWCF through 2006. In fact, President Bush even went on record in his first State of the Union address, advocating for full funding of LWCF.

Unfortunately, the Conservation Trust Fund mechanism relies on annual appropriations from Congress; to date they have denied the program its necessary funding. The Administration has followed suit with its most recent proposal by providing only a fraction of the dollars needed for these vital programs. We therefore find ourselves with fewer dollars to use in to fulfill the needs of our public recreation lands. What once was touted as a visionary program for maintaining America’s open space and recreation needs has become a dream deferred.

Meanwhile, LWCF’s sister program, the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program (UPARR) was not funded at all in last year's appropriations bill. UPARR provides low income urban communities with funding for the rehabilitation of parks, playgrounds, and recreation centers, and providing safe places to play and exercise for children in urban areas. To reject the needs of these communities by eliminating funding for them is to take a step backwards in efforts to provide well maintained urban parks and recreation facilities that are proven inducements for residents to become physically active.

This summer, as we celebrate our great nation and the joys of the season, I urge all citizens of to make their voices heard alongside community and state organizations, businesses, elected officials, and the public at-large to advocate on behalf of LWCF. Only then will we be able to provide parks that serve our neighborhoods and enhance valuable, publicly accessible open spaces and recreation areas across this great land.

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Sample LWCF Letter-to-the-Editor

To the Editor:

This summer, millions of Americans are heading outdoors to take advantage of recreation opportunities made possible by our nations unequaled system of local, state, and federal public lands. These close-to-home recreation areas are where we celebrate the birth of our nation with picnics and fireworks displays, enjoy family reunions and vacations, and experience the outdoors through a variety of other places that make America special.

Our tremendous system of public lands and recreation areas available to all Americans has been strongly enhanced by the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a federal program which, after nearly forty years, is in peril. LWCF’s two programs-a state grant program that has provided support for more than 39,000 state and local parks, and a federal program that creates and enhances national parks, forests and wildlife refuges-work together to conserve America’s vast land and water resources. However, in Congress LWCF is floundering without the promised financial support required to fulfill our conservation and recreation needs.

In 2000, with the creation of the Conservation Trust Fund in Congress, we expected to see significant increases in funding for LWCF through 2006. President Bush even went on record in his first State of the Union address, advocating for full funding of LWCF. Unfortunately, the Administration’s most recent proposal provides only a fraction of the dollars needed for this vital mechanism. In addition, Congress has not kept their promise established by the Conservation Trust Fund; we therefore find ourselves with fewer dollars to use in STATE to fulfill the needs of our public recreation lands. LWCF can now be found in the land of broken promises.

This summer, Representative [your representative], and Senators [your senators] have an opportunity to keep the commitment to fund LWCF. Along with scores of other citizens who care about our public recreation lands, I ask our members of Congress to keep the promise made by Congress to provide reliable funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.