Once again, the future of the Environmental Stewardship Fund and the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund are threatened as budget negotiations progress in our state capitol.
Please contact your legislators this week to assert that these dedicated funding sources must remain intact for their intended purposes.
The Keystone and ESF monies help to fund multi-year projects such as the construction and rehabilitation of park and trail projects.
These investments in our communities leverage matching local funds, engage a wide range of partners, generate local jobs and foster a host of other tangible benefits. Yet the capacities of Keystone and ESF are far from meeting the present demand.
About half of all project investment proposals must be turned away for lack of sufficient state funds.
Created with bipartisan support, the ESF and Keystone Fund enjoy overwhelming popular support to this day.
The current budget proposal, however, threatens to ignore the will of the people and toss our long-term “blue-chip” investments into a black hole of operational deficits. That’s just not acceptable.
Ask Your Elected Officials to Sing a Different Song
Your help is urgently needed to stop any raid on these critical funding sources. Please:
1. Call or email your Representative and Senator NOW to urge them to OPPOSE any transfers of funds from the dedicated funds for governmental operations or any other purposes.
2. Take to your social media channels to spread the message that these funds must remain protected for their dedicated purposes. Tag your legislators with hashtags #SaveKeystone and #SaveESF.
3. Send us copies, share your posts, let us know what responses you receive.
Pennsylvania's outdoor recreational assets (and our economy as a whole) make a joyful noise in each of our hearts. Tune in and ask your legislators and the Governor to tune up!
Additional information is available on the website for the Growing Greener Coalition. with a copy of our Open Letter on the PPFF News page.)
The word is that this could move VERY QUICKLY so please do not delay.
Thank you!
Marci J. Mowery, President, PA Parks & Forests Foundation
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