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To: Wisconsin's land trust community
From: Althea Dotzour, Gathering Waters Conservancy's outreach and
policy coordinator
Re: Your action is needed to help save the Federal Farm protection
dollars
Background:
USDA's Farm
and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) provides matching
funds to buy permanent conservation easements on farm and ranch
land. In 2006, the program provided close to $75 million for farm
and ranch land protection. In 2007, it was authorized by law to
receive nearly $100 million.
The Problem:
President Bush's 2007 Budget request to Congress
proposes a 50 percent cut in funding for USDA's Farm and Ranch Lands
Protection Program (FRPP)! If the program is limited to only $50
million, there will be a direct decrease in the amount of matching
funds available to Wisconsin?s land trusts for farmland preservation.
How YOU can help:
It is critical now that you contact your Congressional
representatives and urge them to support increased funding for the
Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program!
Congressmen Randy Kuhl (R-NY) and Ben Chandler
(D-KY) are sponsoring a letter to be sent to the House of Representative's
Appropriations Committee requesting full funding for FRPP. (click
here for a copy of the letter)
Ask that your Congressional member sign on to
the letter. If your representative in the House is a Republican,
he/she should contact Congressman Kuhl's office; if your representative
is a Democrat, he/she should contact Congressman Chandler's office.
The deadline for this letter is March 26, 2006,
so please take action today!
You can search for your Representative's contact
information by your zip code at www.house.gov.
Gathering Waters tracks contacts between land
trusts and members of our Congressional Delegation. Please
cc us on your letters or email.
For more information, visit
the the American
Farmland Trust's website or the Land
Trust Alliance's website.
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