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Are you living in a East-West Gateway,
FOCUS-St. Louis, and 10 other
regional partners have joined in an effort to coordinate housing,
transportation, the environment, and economic development planning
across the St. Louis region. The goal of this effort is to envision a
better future for St. Louis that is sustainable, equitable, and
livable. Part of this regional planning process will be focused on 11
diverse Community Planning Areas (CPAs) selected as a representative
sampling of communities across our region. We will be hosting 4
meetings in each CPA throughout the year and encourage residents,
business owners, and public leaders in these communities to attend in
order to share their hopes, concerns, and expectations for their
community’s future.
TAKE THE SURVEY! EWGCG has prepared a
baseline attitudinal survey for the CPAs.
This survey has several of the same questions that the region-wide
baseline telephone survey had, so we'll be able to compare responses
from the CPAs to the region as a whole. This survey will remain live
through at least April 2012. Anyone is welcome to complete the
survey. A link to the 16-question survey is below.
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We have moved! Our new address is:
200 W. 3rd Street Suite 101 Alton, IL 62002
Please make note of this in your records ~ thank you!
IDNR is at
breaking point this summer unless Springfield acts now!
Background After a decade of budget and staff reductions,
the Illinois Department of Natural Resources faces unprecedented cuts
this summer that jeopardize its ability to keep our parks open.
We are calling on legislative leaders to support a package of permanent,
sustainable revenue sources for IDNR to protect the park and the natural
resources of the region. Our state parks are valuable recreation assets
and important economic engines for our communities and state. Now more
than ever, with the fiscal crisis facing our state, IDNR needs new
sources of revenue to keep our parks open and safe, and to protect our
natural resources. Since 2002 the IDNR has had reductions in general
revenue funding by over 50 percent. The only way that the Department has
been able to keep state parks open and continue vital programs that
protect our water supply, public safety, and wildlife, has been to rely
on a number of dedicated funds to make up shortfalls. The balances in
these funds have now been depleted and without decisive action taken
soon the IDNR will not be able to perform many of its core functions
this summer. The stewards that are left at our parks and
throughout IDNR are stretched beyond thin – they are doing heroic work
to keep our parks open and protect our natural resources. Without help
from Springfield, IDNR is at a breaking point this summer, and
everything they do for our community and environment will be at risk. In Springfield, legislators are considering a
variety of new revenue sources for IDNR, including entrance fees to
state parks, and new fees on the coal, oil, gas, and aggregate
extraction industries that the Department regulates. The Illinois Chapter Sierra Club supports a
nominal park user fee if the funds go to providing a safe, quality,
outdoor experience, and help protect the environment. The Chapter also
believes it is time for the big coal, oil, and gas corporations to pay
their fair share. They are making a profit from our natural resources,
but IDNR is paying the cost of making sure they’re not polluting our
drinking water and public lands. Illinois taxpayers can’t afford
to subsidize these companies while our parks are at the breaking point. All across the state the citizens of Illinois
count on IDNR to protect our water supply, ensure public safety and
provide disaster assistance, safeguard our natural resources, and
provide quality outdoor experiences that are important to local
economies and quality of life. Providing a sustainable future for IDNR
must be addressed now.
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| Copyright Sierra Club PPG Group; 223 Market Street; Alton, IL. 62002; christine.favilla@sierraclub.org |
