The simplest act you can take to protect the environment on the national, state, and local levels is to vote. Vote for candidates who have strong records in protecting our natural resources. Your vote will help shape our government and determine how it will work to protect our air, water, and land. Consider the candidates' track records, note who will best represent your needs and environmental concerns, and then cast your vote for your local officials, state legislators, representatives to the House, senators, governors, and the President of the United States.

In September we felt we had a good chance to fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) through the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA). However, instead of a Senate floor vote (where we knew we had the support of over 60 Senators), the Interior Appropriations Conference committee greatly increased its LWCF funding for 2001, and "committed" to further increases over the next five years. Even though the $540 million for LWCF in 2001 is far short of the full funding level of $900 million, the appropriators also agreed to spending $60 million on the Forest Legacy Program, which is especially helpful in buying easements in current Northern Forest land deals. Our greatest concern is that the "commitment" from the appropriators is not as binding as the CARA legislation would have been.

* Congratulate yourself on helping bring increased conservation funding to th Northeast.

* Check to see if your members of Congress supported CARA at www.outdoors.org/Conservation/caraoverview.html If they did, send them a quick e-mail thanking them for their support.

In the year 2001, the Federal Forest Legacy Fund will receive $60 million. Of that, Maine needs $30 million to acquire two key parcels of Maine's most ecologically valuable and significant recreational areas. These projects involve purchasing conservation easements that promise to keep working forests undeveloped and open to the public. The West Branch of the Penobscot River project covers 656,000 acres. The Tumbledown Mountain Range project is 35,000 acres. Both are in the western part of Maine. These conservation easements would protect old growth forests, promote sustainable forestry, and also ensure access for hiking, paddling and other sports. Development is becoming a significant threat to these areas so we need to act quickly.

* Send a letter from www.outdoors.org/Conservation asking that $30 million of the FY2001 Forest Legacy money be used for conservation easements of Maine's West Branch and Tumbledown Mountain.

On Nov. 1, the National Park Service agreed to pay private landowners in Rangeley, Maine $4 million for 1,500 acres of land located along 3.2 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. The protected area located on Saddleback Mountain is a mix of acquisition, donation and easements. This agreement ends 16 years of negotiations to purchase the last privately owned portion of the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Before the agreement is complete, the area must be in full compliance with environmental laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act. Over the years, Saddleback Mountain has been an issue AMC members have been concerned about and many of you have written letters supporting its protection. You should all pat yourself on the back for your work in protecting Saddleback Mountain!

In December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is scheduled to outline a series of alternative measures to clean up the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Hudson River. The General Electric Company released more than a million pounds of these PCBs into the Hudson, until the mid-1970s when the chemical was banned, due to suspected health threats. Although GE has stopped making and releasing the PCBs, they are very heavy and stick to sediment at the bottom of the river. The sediment is churned up because the river bottom is constantly shifting allowing long buried PCBs are stirred back up into the water column and re-enter the food-chain.

* Tell the EPA that you support cleaning up PCBs from the Hudson River to protect human health and the ecology of the river. Contact Jeanne Fox, EPA Regional Administrator, at 212-637-5000 or via e-mail fox.jeanne@epa.gov

* Join a vigil on Nov. 9, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., in communities along the Hudson River. For more information, contact volunteer@scenichudson.org and include PCB vigil in the subject heading.

Thanks to phone calls and emails from supporters of the White Mountains, the amendment that would have exempted the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) from a national roadless area protection policy was removed from the Interior Appropriations bill. This means that roadless areas in the White Mountain National Forests will be protected under the new Forest Service roadless policy that is expected to be released later this year. Thanks to everyone who called a senator, representative, or the White House on this issue! The WMNF local planning meetings have resumed. Many supporters have already voiced their concerns about the future of the Whites, and now the US Forest service needs your help to incorporate the publics' concerns into the next 15-year management plan. Meetings are held monthly in Massachusetts or New Hampshire and are open to the public. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

* Check the schedule of meetings at www.fs.fed.us/r9/white/ and click on 'public meetings'. Meetings are held in Gorham, Woodstock, and Albany N.H. and Chelmsford, MA.

Do you have the right tools? Get your Businesses for the Northern Forest (BNF) toolkit designed for businesses and community leaders initiating sustainable economic development in the Northern Forest region. The toolkit lists dozens of resources in the areas of nature-based recreation, cultural heritage tourism and 'green' woodworking. BNF is a network of 350 businesses from Maine to New York that believe "a strong economy depends on a healthy Northern Forest." 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

* Get your BNF toolkit and more information from Kelly Ault at bnf@bnfinfo.org or visit www.businessnorthernforest.org.

This conference will discuss new tools and resources that could be used to tackle growth and development issues in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester Delaware, and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania. The smart growth movement holds much promise for urban Pennsylvania by bringing new investment to urban areas and existing neighborhoods. The conference will take place at the Radisson Valley Forge Hotel, King of Prussia, PA, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A nominal fee of $25 will be requested.

* Contact Tina Brooks at Philadelphia Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), 215-923-3801 or tbrooks@liscnet.org.