STOP THE MADNESS

The have taken most all funds for the art’s away and now they want to take away the dollars to develop green space. Read below and send a email to one of the names at the end of the article. Speak up and help save a job and a park.

Flordia Department of Environmental Protection - Office of Greenways and Trails

Florida residents: Florida’s nationally renowned trails program threatened. Act now!
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection recently announced cuts to the state’s Office of Greenways and Trails, effectively eliminating this nationally renowned program. Speak up now for Florida’s trails!

Speak up for Florida’s Office of Greenways and Trails
During a Senate General Government Appropriations Committee meeting on Thursday, March 19, 2009, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) announced devastating cuts to Florida’s nationally renowned Office of Greenways and Trails (OGT). While other FDEP programs are being cut 20 percent, this proposal would:

* slash 33 percent from OGT’s budget;
* cripple citizen input by killing the Greenways and Trails Council, and;
* eliminate 84 percent of the OGT Tallahassee Office staff.

In addition to rolling back the pro-trail clock by at least 10 years, this measure will threaten nearly $50 million of hard-earned development money for Florida’s future trails by eliminating the positions that are responsible for administering these funds. This timing could not be worse; on-the-ground activity is ramping up to create green infrastructure and jobs associated with economic stimulus projects. The negative ramifications of this cut are far-reaching.

Please speak out against this injustice below. In the March 19 meeting, the public was only allowed 45 seconds of public testimony. Trails and greenways supporters deserve more than 45 seconds to make their voices heard.

If you are not a resident of Florida, you cannot use the OGT link - however , I did copy the “standard email” from the site and sent direct to email address of Legislature.

I am asking for you to show support for the Florida Deparment of Environmental Protection - Office of Greenways and Trails.

Suggested email addresses -
Governor Crist Charlie.Crist@myflorida.com
Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp, Jeff.Kottkamp@MyFlorida.com
Bob Ballard, Dep Sec, DEP, Land and Recreation bob.g.ballard@dep.state.fl.us
Secretary Michael Sole, FDEP, Michael.Sole@dep.state.fl.us
Senator Carey Baker, Appropriations, baker.carey.web@flsenate.gov

SUBJECT - Support the Office of Greenways and Trails

Sirs,

Please move quickly to save the nation’s best state trails program and, with it, $50 million of future trail development funding.

These attacks will roll back the trail progress clock by at least a decade, reduce citizen input and abolish our nationally recognized state trails legislation.

Not only will valuable staff resources be lost, but this risks trail development funding and green infrastructure jobs at a time when our state needs them most.

This month began as one of celebration, with the Governor’s Office declaring March as Florida Bicycle Month and ended with the FDEP proposing the

abolishment of the very services that make Florida a nationally renowned bicycling state. Please save Florida trails by making fair and measured

reductions that don’t single out the Office of Greenways and Trails!