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Dear Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA)/Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Supporter: Please read the Fort Collins newspaper article and consider writing a letter to your Senator immediately. The Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation have asked us to provide support for upcoming legislation in the Senate. CARA provides money to state and local authorities to purchase open spaces, conservation easements, build parks and sports facilities, wildlife conservation, Indian land restoration, and preservation of historic monuments. There are now less than 30 legislative days left in the Senate for a vote on CARA. That is a very small window of opportunity. It is imperative that any letters, faxes, resolutions and other contacts that you or anyone you know sent to your House members, must now be readdressed and sent to your senators. The senators are completely unaware of the correspondence that was sent to the House. This should not take long but it is extremely critical!! Please take any letter, resolution or other document you sent to your House members, put your senators' names on it and send it off. Please, as always, send us copies of anything you send to your senators (our e-mail and fax is below). This is our top priority right now, and we must follow through to make certain the Senate gets the same barrage the House did. Thanks in advance for doing this!! Thanks!! Omar Jabara & Jared Boigon Colorado Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R) (202) 224-1933-DC Fax Wayne Allard (R) (202) 224-6471-DC Fax
The Fort Collins Coloradoan http://www.coloradoannews.com/ Monday, June 5, 2000 CARA will benefit city and county Although managing growth remains largely a state and local issue, the federal government can help mitigate the less desirable effects of growth by passing the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (HR 701/S.2123) - also known as CARA - this year. CARA provides money to state and local authorities to purchase open spaces, conservation easements, build parks and sports facilities, wildlife conservation, Indian land restoration, and preservation of historic monuments. For Colorado, CARA would mean an additional $44 million a year to purchase open space, build parks, buy conservation easements and protect wildlife habitats. Moreover, the people of Colorado overwhelmingly approved the creation of Great Outdoors Colorado in 1992 to provide approximately $42 million from lottery revenues to help protect important places in the state. This money only meets a small fraction of the demand for open space, parks, recreation and wildlife. Funding from CARA would match state efforts through GOCO and leverage our commitment to protecting certain tracts of land and scenic vistas. CARA ensures that royalties from offshore oil and gas drilling, intended for the Land and Water Conservation Fund - a large part of CARA - would be used for their stated purpose. For many years, Congress has been funneling these resources into the general fund for other pet projects, although the money is supposed to be used to purchase open space, build parks and pay for conservation easements. In Larimer County, LWCF funds have been used for everything from Lory State Park to Boyd Lake. However, other projects such as the next phase in the Poudre/Big Thompson Canyon project are unfunded because remaining LWCF revenues are diverted into the general treasury. CARA is not a partisan issue like some other environmental measures - both conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats alike support it. In fact, five of Colorado's six House members are co-sponsors of CARA. To date, the bill boasts 316 House co-sponsors and recently passed with a large margin in the House of Representatives. However, the bill faces many obstacles in the Senate. While the clock ticks away on CARA, the mad rush to pass the appropriations bills - along with the usual election-year posturing - will soon consume Congress. That is why the U.S. Senate should follow the lead of the House and pass CARA now! A great deal is at stake. With every passing day, the less desirable effects of growth overrun more and more of Colorado, degrading our quality of life. If CARA does not pass this year, we will have lost tremendous momentum and many leaders on this landmark bill will be serving on different committees. The stars are in alignment to pass CARA this year. CARA puts the control where it belongs - with state and local government as well as private entities. Simply put, CARA ensures that the funds make it out of Washington and into our local communities where they can do the most good. Many projects in our county and across the state remain plans on paper because funding intended for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the other elements of CARA gets diverted into the general, federal fund. CARA would put these fiscal shenanigans to an end. Please take the time to thank Representatives DeGette, Udall, McInnis, Hefley, and Tancredo for their leadership on this important issue for Larimer County. We need to make it clear that we, the American people, want the Senate to pass the most significant wildlife, parks and recreation legislation in more than 30 years. The bottom line is that Colorado and Larimer County cannot afford to have CARA languish in the U.S. Senate. Susan Kirkpatrick is the Colorado State Director for the National Audubon Society and former Mayor of Fort Collins.
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Updated Thursday, July 13, 2000 © Copyright, 2000- 2004. All rights reserved. The Coalition of Tri-Lakes Communities, P.O. Box 1763, Monument, Colorado 80132-1763 |
