Our Pennsylvania Audubon Chapters have assigned a high priority to support efforts to fund our state agencies that include DCNR, DEP, the Fish and Boat Commission, and Game Commission. We need our chapters and members to exercise that support now! Your help is needed to secure the largest budget allocation DCNR has received since the Rendell Administration. At the heart of this opportunity is the proposal to allocate $500 million to DCNR provided to Pennsylvania from the America Recovery Act. Earlier in March, the Pennsylvania State Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee heard the testimony of DCNR Secretary Cindy Dunn to request the investment of $500 million from the America Recovery Act in the Growing Greener III. These funds are used by DCNR to underwrite a host of projects undertaken by our conservation partners throughout the Commonwealth. We need to send the message to our members of the State Legislature to respond to needs outlined in Secretary Dunn’s testimony and provide for a robust budget for DCNR for the next fiscal year.
Support is needed for SB 525 (Growing Greener III) Contact members of the Pennsylvania State Senate who serve your chapter territory and urge them to support these bills. Thank them if they are already cosponsors of the proposed legislation. If they are not cosponsors, ask them to sign on as cosponsors -- more cosponsors on these two bills are needed. In addition, contact members of the Senate Appropriations Committee and let them know your chapter supports these measures. Support for Growing Greener is a major priority for nearly every conservation organization in the Commonwealth. The Pennsylvania Audubon Council published an Action Alert to chapter leaders on March 17th in a special edition of the DRUMMER. Audubon MidAtlantic circulated an Action Alert last week encouraging individual Audubon members to lend their support.
The companion legislation in the House is HB 2020 (Growing Greener III companion) Urge the State Representatives who serve any portions of your chapter territory to move on these measures so they can be put in the budget. We need more House members to hear from us and urging PA House members to sign on to both bills as cosponsors! You can help by reaching out to your state representatives with an email and telephone call.
One great example you can cite is the project our friends at the Tookany/Tacony Frankford Watershed Partners (TTF) undertook. TTF leveraged Growing Greener funding for a green storm water infrastructure project they spearheaded at the Abington Junior High (AJHS). The project resulted in the establishment of a riparian buffer and new rain gardens filter runoff from the school grounds before it flows into East Baeder Creek. It transformed large sections of lawn into wonderful habitat for birds, wildlife and water quality. Wyncote Audubon, the AJHS Green Thumbs Club, and the Abington Environmental Advisory Council members and volunteers all helped with this successful project.
Note that the State House and Senate are scheduled to resume their work next week! Please make your contacts soon as the budget negotiations are complicated, very dynamic, and moving quickly. Our voice on keeping the environment a budgetary priority is as necessary as ever! Here is a link to the Audubon Action Alert Portal: https://act.audubon.org/a/tell-your-legislator-growing-greener-pa. You can use this link to send a short message directly to your stat senator and representative.
