From: alra@governance.net Subject: Urgent NO PARK alert - NO LAND BOND Land Rights Network American Land Rights Association PO Box 400 – Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: 360-687-3087 – Fax: 360-687-2973 – E-mail: alra@landrights.org or alra@governance.net Web Address: http://www.landrights.org Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE – Washington, DC 20003 Urgent NO PARK alert - NO LAND BOND From Mary Adams Dear NO Park Supporters: Urgent! Nip the land bond issue in the bud so that it doesn't get to the ballot stage. We need to send a message to Maine legislators to vote NO on another land bond for two reasons: -----1. It's not good for the rural economy to tie up massive acreage in perpetuity (forever); and -----2. the state is up to its eyeballs in debt service now and we can't afford to pile on more. I received news tonight from a State House insider that the bonds are coming to a head this week. The land bond amount hasn't been decided yet, but the idea to send a bond question to the voter has some support and legislators need to hear from us tonight, tomorrow and Tuesday that -----A. they should vote NO on the land bonds whatever the amount they finally decide on. -----B. Contact Republicans as well as Democrats because although the Republicans are in the minority, it takes 2/3rds vote in each body to send out a bond issue and they have enough to stop it if they hang together and vote as a block. One of the ways to an unwanted federal park in the heart of Maine's working woods is to keep voting money in land bonds to hand over to the Land for Maine's Future Board (controlled by environmentalists) to tie up more woods and reduce the value of it. In other words we must stop allowing the environmental organizations to spend our money to curtail growth and hurt the rural economy. Here is what you must do now! Please call your legislator at home tonight or tomorrow. The legislature convenes again in Augusta on Tuesday, April 27th, so the time to reach them at home is now. If you try to reach them after tomorrow, call the State House and leave word for a House member with the Clerk of the House: 207-287-1400[/b] or 1-800-423-2900. In the Senate, call 207-287-1540 or 1-800-423-6900. If you want to back up your phone efforts with email, go here for email addresses of legislators: http://janus.state.me.us/house/e_mail.htm After you have contacted your legislators, please drop me an email and let me know. (If you don't know who your legislators are, just email me and I'll get right back to you with the names.) We can stop the "Land Bond to hurt Maine's Future" and the time is now. Much of the bond money would be used to tie up land in conservation easements. To read about the dark side of conservation easements, read these two sources of information: http://www.prfamerica.org/ConsEaseCriticalLook.html and http://propertyrights.org/headline4_frame.asp Thanks for your concern and to help in preserving the rural economy and traditional use of the Maine woods! Mary Adams mga@somtel.com Please forward this message as widely as possible. Thank you. Here are some sample alerts from the green groups: --------------- Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 From: EnviroActionSubject: Panthers, Mercury, Whooping Cranes and More! Forests: NWF has joined an important effort to preserve a large swath of unique forest in eastern Maine, home to some of the highest densities of loons, bobcats and black bears in the Northeast. Click here to learn more the new Downeast Forest campaign. http://nwf.m0.net/m/s.asp?HB12372849019X3142165X318615X http://www.asmainegoes.com/ubb-scripts/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=022898 --- Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 From: Maine Chapter Subject: ACT-Land Bond Hearing Wednesday Sierra Club-Maine Chapter Grassroots Email Express Volume II No. 4 March 1, 2004 We have just learned that the State Appropriations Committee has set a date for the Land Bond Hearing for Wednesday, March 3rd at 12:30. The meeting will occur in the Appropriations room which is room 228. The hearing will be on two bills, LD 1776 for $150 million and the Governor’s proposal for a $60 million bond. This is a time where your involvement could be beneficial. There are a couple of ways that you could choose to become active in the process. The first is that you could attend the hearing. Second, you may have the opportunity to testify. Or you could call your legislator to support the $150 million bond. Call your state representative: 1-800-423-2900 Call your state senator: 1-800-423-6900 In the past land bond money has been used for the following: 1. The conservation of land in all 16 counties (approximately 100 projects) 2. Guarantee that the public would have continued access to more than 190,000 acres of land and dozens of bodies of water 3. Preservation of working farms, forestlands, mountain summits, salt marshes, and coastal shorelines 4. Conserved areas where the public can continue to hike, fish, canoe, bike, boat, camp and snowmobile. The land bond being discussed could be used to preserve the natural heritage of Maine from the 100-mile wilderness in the North Woods to the islands of the coast. For more information please email Nancy Rich, Vice-Chair of the Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club, [email]nrich@une.edu[/email] Sierra Club - Maine Chapter 1 Pleasant Street Portland, Maine 04101 Phone: (207) 761-5616 Fax: (207) 773-6690 Email: SierraME@maine.rr.com Web: http://maine.sierraclub.org/ -- To unsubscribe from this mailing list; please visit http://governance.net and enter your email address.