Thanks to Erin for all her work on preparing for this press conference!
Jane Clark

Rural Advocates!

What a successful press conference!  Special thanks to Chris Bedford for his
"solutions" vision and organization of the press conference, to Kari Carney
and Mary Holmes for finalizing and distributing the press release and
organizing the presenters, to Denise O'Brien for moderating, and to all the
presenters, some of who filled in at the last minute because of inclement
weather delaying the arrival of others: Darcy Tromenhauser, Matilde, Larry
Ginter, LaVon Griffieon, Nicki Gould, Ed Woolsey, and Denise O'Brien.

By my unofficial count we had 7 reporters at the press conference including
FOX TV, KCCI TV, Iowa Public Radio, WHO radio, and the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
I noticed that several of the 18 organizations represented were interviewed
personally following the press conference.  I was interviewed by three radio
stations after my return to the office, WHO, KMA (Shenandoah), and Radio
Iowa.  Eleven organizations had banners or signs.  And, thanks to Chris
Bedford and The Humane Society, Rural Advocacy 2003 now has a beautiful
banner of its own.

"Thank you" to Erin Jordahl, who almost single-handedly collated and stuffed
all the issue statement packets for 150 legislators, and LaVon Griffieon who
together are passing those packets out to legislators.

With the first funnel coming up in mid-February, some of us who talked after
the press conference thought we ought to meet next week.  A date and time
that seemed to work for most was February 5 at 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.  So let's
plan to meet then at Iowa Environmental Council, 711 East Locust Street, Des
Moines.  We will have a brief debriefing of the press conference and decide
next steps.  Please let me know if you cannot make it.  Otherwise, we'll
plan
on seeing you then.

Check out the new official RA2K3 website
www.ncrlc.com/ruraladvocacy2003.html. It was publicized in the press release
about the press conference (see attached press release).  It still has some
things to be corrected.  Please let your constituents know about the
site and encourage them to carry the recommendations on to their own
legislators.  Note the statements can be downloaded as Word documents for
easy printing.

Tim Kautza
Science and Environmental Education
National Catholic Rural Life Conference
4625 Beaver Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50310-2199
515-270-2634, ext. 16
515-270-9447 (FAX)
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www.ncrlc.com

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