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Montana Wild Lands Need Your Help
Across the country, lands with exceptional recreation and conservation value are at risk to development. In Montana, three projects need your help: Flathead National Forest, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Sun Ranch), and the North Swan River Valley.
Congress has provided the mechanism for acquiring such lands but not the money. Please write your members of Congress today and urge them to support specific funding for this project. Remember, you add a great deal of impact when you add your own words to the letter to Congress.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Please secure funding for these land conservation projects
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I write to urge you to seek funding for critically important land acquisition in Montana. Here at home, and across the country, rare and valuable lands are at risk. Please act to make sure these irreplaceable lands are saved for current and future generations.
In Montana, two projects need funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund in the Fiscal Year 2008 Interior Appropriations bill: the Flathead National Forest, $8,000,000; and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Sun Ranch), $4,500,000.
In addition to securing funding specifically for these projects, please help ensure the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) federal land acquisition program remains strong and is funded at $450 million at a minimum. Adequate funding for federal land acquisition is the key to effectively protecting our most vulnerable and important national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, monuments, wildernesses and other public lands.
I also urge your support for $100 million for the Forest Legacy program. Funds from this program will help to conserve important privately owned forest lands from inappropriate development. In Montana, $4,000,000 is needed for the North Swan River Valley Forest Legacy Project.
An essential attribute of being an American is love of the land. These wild and vulnerable lands need our help and protection now. Your leadership can help ensure that the Interior Appropriations bill includes sufficient LWCF and Forest Legacy funding to guarantee the future of these places.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
April 16, 2007
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In 1964, Congress made a farsighted investment in America's public lands by creating the Land and Water Conservation Fund or LWCF. Since its creation, LWCF money has bought over 7 million acres of open space and has been instrumental in the development of nearly 40,000 recreation and park areas.
But for LWCF to work, Congress must act each year to appropriate money for it in the Interior Appropriations bill to pay for critical projects. Over the past six years funding for LWCF has been cut by more than 75%, culminating in this year’s President’s FY 2008 request which proposes one of the lowest funding levels for LWCF in the program’s history. Money is still tight this year, but the new Congress has a real opportunity to reverse this downward funding trend for LWCF.
The Forest Legacy program complements LWCF by helping states conserve privately owned forests threatened by inappropriate development so that they can continue to provide clean water and habitat for wildlife. The President has proposed $29 million for Forest Legacy this year, but 41 states have submitted 82 projects identifying $192 million in need for the program.
This year, it's crucial that both the House and Senate provide increased funding for priority LWCF and Forest Legacy projects. Congress won't fulfill the promise of LWCF, and won't save these special places unless constituents like you make their voices heard. If these beautiful, threatened lands are not protected this year, they may be lost forever.
What You Can Do
In Montana, three projects - Flathead National Forest, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Sun Ranch), and the North Swan River Valley - are at risk and need your help. Please contact your Members of Congress today and ask them to request specific funding for these critical projects. You can take action immediately from here.
Please personalize your letter, as it will carry a lot more weight if you do. Or send your own letter, using the sample found here directly to your Members of Congress. You can look up the names and addresses of your Members of Congress here.
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