1. COUNTDOWN TO CARA: Summer is a time for families to picnic, go to the beach, view wildlife, hike in the woods, fish, visit a historic site, or kick around a soccer ball. It is also time for the U.S. Senate to consider legislation that would invest $2.8 billion each year in those parks, wildlife habitats, coastlines, and other places that Americans enjoy so much. The bipartisan Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) is the major legislative vehicle this year to provide states and municipalities with a permanent source of matching funds (from offshore oil and gas revenues) for conservation and recreation programs. In May, the House of Representatives passed CARA by an overwhelming margin (315-102) and the bill is now before the U.S. Senate. With less than 30 legislative days left, the clock is ticking to pass this landmark bipartisan conservation legislation, which would protect our nation's natural heritage for years to come. More than 50 Senators are currently co-sponsoring one of the several CARA-related proposals now before the Senate. Our Senators need to make the connection between CARA and the quality of life that will result from its passage.

* Help them make that connection. Send them a souvenir of summer that relates to enjoying the great outdoors. Examples might include seashells, toy binoculars, or a soccer ball. Send them to: (YOUR SENATOR'S NAME), United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510.

2. ROADLESS PROPOSAL: COMMENT PERIOD CLOSE JULY 17 Until July 17, the U.S. Forest Service will seek comments on a National Roadless Area Conservation Proposal that could permanently protect 40 million acres of our national forests from road building, logging, and mining. In May, the Forest Service presented a draft rule that would protect the last remaining roadless areas from road building. However, the rule as currently written would not discontinue timber harvesting, mining, or other resource extraction. The goals of roadless area protection are limiting roads, and maintaining and restoring natural areas. Therefore, it is important to discontinue road building and resource extraction as well.

The White Mountain National Forest is just one of the 155 national forests that would be affected by this new policy. The Forest Service will review all comments and announce a final rule this fall.

* Write to the Forest Service in opposition to logging and other forms of resource extraction in all remaining roadless areas. Comments must be received by July 17 at: USDA Forest Service - CAET, Attn: Roadless Area Conservation Proposed Rule, PO BOX 221090, Salt Lake City, UT 84122; fax 877-703-2494; email to roadlessdeis@fs.fed.us; or visit http://www.roadless.fs.fed.us

3. MORE ATV TRAILS IN PA STATE FORESTS?  The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (DCNR) Bureau of Forestry (BOF) is currently preparing a new 15-year management plan for the 2.1 million-acre state forest system. Despite already having 184-miles of ATV trails on state forest lands, DCNR staff are quietly launching a five-year plan to significantly increase ATV trails in state forests and parks, which would result in a host of environmental impacts and increased conflicts with passive recreation usage. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

* Write the BOF to oppose the expansion of the ATV trail system. Comments will be accepted through the end of July at the following address: Dan Devlin, DCNR Bureau of Forestry, Resource Planning & Information, PO Box 8552 Harrisburg, PA 17105-8552

4. PA PASSES "SMART GROWTH" LEGISLATION  The PA state legislature recently passed two bills sponsored by Sen. Jim Gerlach (R-44th District) and Rep. David Steil (R-Bucks County) that will give municipalities new tools to deal with sprawl and foster "smart growth". The legislation provides incentives to municipalities to plan cooperatively, designate "growth areas", and protect rural resources through zoning and development rights transfers. In return, municipalities that plan in this manner will receive priority for state funding and protection from legal challenges by developers. Many thanks to all of you who urged your legislators to support these bills!

5. MAINE RECEIVES $4 MILLION FOR WEST BRANCH PROJECT  Maine received $4 million in federal Forest Legacy funds to help finance conservation easements and strategically targeted fee acquisitions for some 85,000 forested acres east and north of Moosehead Lake and south of the upper West Branch of the Penobscot River. The easements will preclude development, protect key recreational zones, wildlife habitat, and other ecological areas while establishing appropriate long-term forest management goals. The state is currently seeking additional Forest Legacy funds for an additional 570,000 acres. Forest Legacy funding is designed to keep working forests in production and open to recreation and other activities. In the past, Congress has appropriated very little money for the Forest Legacy program. However, if the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) passes this summer, the Forest Legacy program will receive a significant boost in funding.

* Support CARA by sending Senators a souvenir of summer or writing to them. See information noted above in item Number 1.

6. COMMUNITY PRESERVATION ACT GIVES MASSACHUSETTS A VOTING CHANCE  Municipalities across the Commonwealth are struggling to keep the balance between economic growth and the unique characters of their communities. This sprawl is responsible for the deterioration of our historic buildings and the depletion of our open space. The Community Preservation Act is a piece of legislation that would address this need by providing communities with the option to hold a ballot vote for the creation of a local community preservation fund. This bill would enable municipalities to create land banks from either a real estate transfer tax or a property excise fee. By adopting the Community Preservation Act, cities and towns in Massachusetts will have the opportunity to raise necessary funding for affordable housing, open space protection, and historic preservation. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

* Write or call your Massachusetts legislators and ask them to swiftly pass the Community Preservation Act.

* For more information, please call Marcia Molay at the Community Preservation Coalition 617-725-0597.

7. PCBs SETTLE TO BOTTOM OF HUDSON RIVER  After 25 years, the federal Environmental Protection Agency may order General Electric (GE) to clean up polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the river bottom of the Upper Hudson River. Between 1946 and 1977, GE is responsible for dumping into the upper Hudson more than 1 million pounds of PCBs which have since found a resting place in the downstream river sediments. After years of sampling mud cores and running computer studies, EPA scientists have concluded that these buried PCBs threaten wildlife and pose a cancer risk to people who eat Hudson fish.

GE's lobbyists have tried to delay any EPA decision on the clean up until after the presidential election. If dredging is chosen as the cleaning method, GE would have to pay for it, which could run into hundreds of millions of dollars. Under Superfund law, the company could also be billed for the damage to natural resources - like the river's commercial fishery, which was shut down because of PCBs.

* Urge your legislators to make sure that no riders or amendments are attached to the VA-HUD Appropriations bill or the Water Resources Development Act to inhibit the EPA's ability to dredge contaminated sediment from the Hudson River.