May 1999 Conservation Update
National News* Land and Water Conservation Fund
* Air Quality
Regional News
If you have already received this email version of Network News, please let me know at rdinerman@amcinfo.org so I can update my lists. As we convert to the new electronic system, there are still some snags to work out.
Land and Water Conservation Fund: Over 35 Senators signed a "Dear Colleague" letter to the Senate Budget Committee requesting that they make LWCF a priority and that it be funded at its authorized level of $900 million. A similar letter was signed by over 50 Representatives and sent to the House Budget Committee. It is likely that both the Senate and House Resources Committees will act early this summer on LWCF legislation. If this federal program is going to get adequate funding, Congress needs to hear from citizens that parks and open space protection are a priority.
You can:
Air Quality: Vice President Gore announced new rules to reduce haze and improve visibility in America’s National Parks and wilderness areas. The rules, developed by the EPA, require states to meet a 60-year target for clean air, rather than the original proposal of 200 years. States that can’t meet a 60-year deadline, can develop alternative plans to meet the goals. The rule also requires "best available retrofit technology". This is the only rule on the books that examines what needs to happen in order to have clean air by 2064. Participate in the first March for Parks in Shenandoah National Park on May 15 at 11:30 at Big Meadows Campground on Skyline Drive. Learn about clean air and water quality and hike to help retire polluting sulfur dioxide. For information, contact Jonathan Birdsong at jonathan@iwla.org or call 301-524-0150. For information on emissions: www.epa.gov/acidrain/emission/index1.htm
Maine Open Space Bond: The Maine Legislature is considering putting a bond issue on the ballot in November which would help the state to protect special places and would revitalize the Land For Maine's Future Program. The Appropriations Committee is crafting a bill which will combine elements of the Governor’s proposal, which offered a $50 million bond and another bill that proposed a $75 million bond. While the Committee may craft language soon, the bond amount will not be finalized until late May or early June. You can: write to members of the Maine state legislature and urge support for a $75 million bond, with another $25 million in matching funds and real estate transfer tax revenues.
Maine Land Protection: The Appropriations Committee in the Maine legislature needs to decide whether to appropriate $6.86 million to fund the state acquisition of Moosehead and Flagstaff Lake shoreline, a stretch of lands along the Upper Kennebec River, and Scarborough Beach in southern Maine. Together with the Trust for Public Land, the state negotiated an option to purchase these lands from Plum Creek Timber Co., but the option ends in June. The money for this project, unrelated to the bond, must become available almost immediately. You can: Write the Appropriations Committee to ensure that they know that protecting these places is a top priority for Maine citizens.
New Jersey Land Protection: The Whitman administration and legislative leaders are close to an agreement on how to allocate over $1 billion voters approved last November to preserve New Jersey's farms and open spaces over the next ten years. It is likely that the bill will provide forty percent of the money to farmland preservation efforts; 30 percent for state acquisition of open spaces; and 30 percent for local government and nonprofit conservation groups. $10 million annually will support urban parks and $6 million will go towards for historic preservation efforts. The money would come from $1 billion in new bonds that would be floated by the state and diversion of up to $98 million a year in sales tax revenues.
You can: Urge your legislators to ensure that the allocations meet the Governor’s Council on the Outdoors targets, including $500 million for farmland, $400 million for conservation and recreation and $500 million for local programs, matching funds and non-profit acquisitions.
Sterling Forest, New York: The Sterling Forest Corporation (SFC) still owns over 2,000 acres surrounding the newly created Sterling Forest State Park. SFC has filed an application to develop a community of over 1,000 housing units, a community center and a golf course. Their plans include another community of single family homes and a second golf course. Along Route 17A, they have proposed office and research and development facilities at the site currently used by the Renaissance Fair. Of concern are inadequacy of the water supply, sewage effluent going into the Ramapo and Ringwoood Rivers and impacts of such a large development on the forest habitat. Express concerns that need to be addressed in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) by attending the public meeting on May 12th at 7:30 p.m. at Tuxedo Town Hall, Temple Drive, Tuxedo, NY. For information on the proposal, call Sterling Forest Partnership office at 914-294-3098 or email: sterlfor@magiccarpet.com
Off Road Vehicle Use in Massachusetts State Parks: A bill (SB 1031) has been introduced that will open all Massachusetts state parks and forests to off-road vehicle (ORV). Under the Department of Environmental Management's (DEM) current ORV access policy, more than 200 miles of designated ORV trails are provided for motorized use in eight state forests. SB 1031, would cancel the current policy by opening all state forest and state parks to ORV use. The current policy has shown that trail user conflicts over the first two years of the policy have been reduced, ORV clubs are engaged in quality trail maintenance efforts and the six-month riding season has limited the damage to trails during mud season. The policy's results should not be undercut by SB 1031 which would open new areas to potential ORV access and the result would be increased ecological damage to state lands and increased conflicts between hikers, bikers, cross country skiers and ORV users.
Call your state Representative and Senator to express your strong opposition to opening all state forests and parks to ORV use and oppose S.1031. Call 617/722-2000 to get the name or phone number of your Representative and Senator.
Pennsylvania Open Space: Efforts are underway to improve the state’s "growing greener" initiative by adding a bond bill of $400 million over the next five years and to apply ten per cent of the state’s share from realty tax transfers. Increased funds would increase the state’s ability to preserve farmland, improve wildlife management, restore historic sites and museums, develop historic tourism and heritage parks, improve community planning, expand greenways. Growing Greener Plus would help Pennsylvania meet the need for more community parks and local recreation projects. Write to your state legislators to urge them to support Growing Greener Plus or use the sample letter at: http://www.outdoors.org/Conservation/ and click on "act now".
AMC Conservation Action Network
Check out the Conservation Action Network: http://www.outdoors.org/Conservation/
To edit your personal information or to unsubscribe, use the Network Sign up form. If you haven't been online to choose a password, we've assigned you one so that your information is private and secure. Your password will be AMC until you change it. Sign up to receive any or all of our special alerts. Special alerts are sent out when a crucial issue comes to the fore. You can choose to receive these alerts about the following subjects: Parks, Trails, and Open Space, Northern Forests, The Highlands Region, Rivers and Watersheds, or Air Quality. For more information or to unsubscribe, email us: conservation@amcinfo.org Thanks! We'll be in touch.
Ruth Dinerman
Home Page | Mission | Membership | Directory | Committee News | Trip Reports | Links |