In this e-mail you will find:
1. Update on Our Work This Past Week
2. Goals for Next Week and Opportunities to Make Your
Voice Heard
3. Some links to general Arctic Refuge info and
materials on the web.
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Greetings, Arctic Activists!
Congratulations to everyone for another great week of
advancing this critical issue across Iowa and
Illinois! As we approach this year's budget process
and another energy crisis, it's more important than
ever that we keep coming up with great successes like
these:
* Sheri Colman got a great Letter to the Editor
printed in the QC Times! (text below)
* 64 new activists joined the coalition!
* Temple Emannuel in the Quad Cities joined the
Coalition, thanks to Jeanette in Rock Island.
* Nearly 300 Moline High School students will be
writing letters, thanks to Sam and Becky in Moline.
* 16 people came out for two very productive core
planning meetings and trainings.
* Many of our Iowa and Illinois member groups wrote a
sign-on letter to Representatives in Congress,
*defeating* several anti-environmental riders attached
to a giant appropriation bill.
Next Week we will focus on:
1. Outdoor Sports Outreach at the QCCA Expo Center's
Outdoor Fair
2. Attendence by Arctic Activists at Iowa 1st
District FORUMs hosted by Jim Nussle in person.
* * * OUTDOOR FAIR OUTREACH * * *
This is by far the biggest thing our new
coalition has done yet! The Outdoor Fair next weekend
is a fantastic opportunity to reach out to some of our
strongest potential supporters, to educate them about
what is going on in the Arctic, and to show them how
to make a difference on the issue. The Quad City
Conservation Association (QCCA) has been kind enough
to *donate* a booth to our group for the entirety of
this four-day show. We're looking for SIXTY people
from our group to sign up and come on out. Not only
do we owe it to the QCCA to make sure we fill the
booth with volunteers, but we stand to gain a lot
ourselves: A tremendous number of new members and,
with our great props, maybe even some TV attention!
To be clear on what "tabling" involves, consider
that you only need to know two things to be great
tabler:
1. It is not just worth destroying our last great
Arctic Refuge for 6 months of oil 10 years from now
and
2. If the person approaching the booth agrees with
you on that, they can put their info on the sheet in
front of you to make sure that doesn't happen! We'll
give them all the info they need once they're on our
growing list.
(3) And maybe one third thing: The time to act is
now! Iowa and Illinois representatives are on the
fence on this issue, and we can help them vote the
right way as this issue comes up in Congress in just
the next few weeks.
It's that easy! And it's fun: Tabling is a great way
to meet wonderful new supporters and see concrete
results in your efforts to spread the word about this
imporant issue.
--> To get a one to two hour slot at the booth, write
me at [log in to unmask] or go straight to our
very own coordinator in the Quad Cities, Tawny at
[log in to unmask] . Of course, you're welcome to table
with friends or family.
* * * PUBLIC FORUMS hosted by IOWA REP. to U.S.
Congress, JIM NUSSLE * * *
Representative Nussle will be hosting forums in four
places around his district in the coming week. This
is a wonderful way for us to show him how much his
consituents care about the Arctic: Enough to come out
to his forum, ask questions of him, and express their
opinon. It's a great place to say "Thanks!" for
keeping drilling out of the budget last time and say
"Please! Make sure you do it again." It wouldn't
hurt either to let him know about the hundreds of
people and groups throughout his district who are
working closely with you on this.
Forums are scheduled for the following places and
times and are open to all members of the public (if
you live in Mr. Nussle's district, you probably got an
invitation in the mail).
Be sure to check out the web info and elected official
feedback section below.
Thank you all for your hard work and great
enthusiasm! I feel very lucky to be surrounded by so
many passionate people working from their hearts on
issue so important to all Americans. If you have any
questions about anything, let me know.
Best Regards,
Jay Heeter
Outreach Organizer
Alaska Coalition of Iowa
CLINTON Public Forum
Clinton County Administration Building
1900 N. 3rd St, Meeting Room B
10:00am to 11:00am
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
DEWITT Public Forum
Frances Banta Waggoner Community Library
505 10th Street
2:00pm to 3:00pm
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
ELDRIDGE Public Forum
Rodeway Inn
1000 E. Iowa Street
10:30am to 11:30am
Wednesday, February 19, 2003
BETTENDORF Public Forum
Bettendorf Public Library
2950 Learning Curve Drive
3:00pm to 4:30pm
Wednesday, February 19, 2003
ANAMOSA Public Forum
Lawrence Community Center
600 E. Main Street
10:00am to 11:00am
Thursday, February 20, 2003
* * * Web Links and Materials * * *
--> In this section are:
1. Request for Feedback
2. Web Links to Arctic Info
3. Materials I can e-mail you if you can use
them
4. A great Letter to the Editor, printed in
the Quad City Times
1. Request for Feedback
--> Several people have contacted me to tell me what
Representative Nussle's office told them in reply to
an email, call or visit. This is really valuable
information! If you receive a response from
Representative Nussle or Senator Fitzgerald, please
write or call to let me know what they say. I will
pass their reply on to people working with us in DC so
we can monitor our effectiveness and directly address
any new issues raised.
2. Web Links to Arctic Info
--> The following links may be useful for your own
interest, to explain the issue to friends or
co-workers, or as background information for
reporters. I use it for all three.
You can find the paid 30-second advertisements run
during the State of the Union in the Quad Cities,
Cedar Rapids and Washington DC at
http://www.macropartners.com/arctic . That we paid
for these ads gives an idea of how important this area
is in deciding the fate of the Refuge: The Alaska
Coalition of Iowa and Iowa Wildlife Federation to not
have much money for this kind of thing.
You can also find more info on the Refuge itself at:
The Alaska Coalition
http://www.alaskacoalition.org
The Alaska Wilderness League (national):
http://www.alaskawild.org/arcticrefuge_intro.html
OR
The National Wildlife Federation (The Iowa Wildlife
Federation, affiliated, is co-sponsoring the ads):
http://www.nwf.org/arcticrefuge/programHomepage.cfm?cpId=60&CFID=51842&
CFTOKEN=48734305
3. Materials I Can Send You
--> If anyone would like any of the following
materials, I can e-mail you all of them as a package
or any combination:
Write to Right -- 2-pager on how to write an elected
official and some Arctic writing points. Great for
emailing to interested friends or hosting
letter-writing/video events.
Nussle Addresses -- for letter writing events or
emails
Fitzgerald Addresses -- for letter writing events or
emails
Transportation Fact Sheet -- Alternative energy, etc.
Tabling Training Sheet -- Highly recommended to have
at the table for first time tablers to read when they
sit down.
Sign-up Sheet -- for tabling or other volunteer
recruitment opportunities
Coalition Endorsement Form -- for groups from high
school clubs to religious groups and businesses
Coalition Endorsement Form Intro Letter -- Explaining
the Coalition, handy for mailings.
Senate 1-pager -- on the Senate Battle, facts.
10 Arctic Tactics -- Ideas, for yourself or your
volunteers
How to Host an Effective Video Party -- I can send you
a video if you would like to host one
Hot to Set up a District Meeting -- most effective way
to exert grassroots pressure
4. A punchy and to-the-point Letter to the Editor by
Sheri from the Quad Cities:
This is a great example of how to make an LTE
quick, to the point, current, and local. There's no
need for a great LTE to take more than 20 minutes to
write.. but it does help to call to make sure they
received it. They received this one... and printed
it! Check it out:
Quad City times, February 11, 2003
ARCTIC REFUGE NEEDS VIGILANCE
I definitely am opposed to driling for oil in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. However, I feel
there is a larger issue at stake that threatens our
political system. The problem is that any proposal
that has been defeated by both the Senate and the
House as a bill can be slipped through the back door
under the cover of the federal budget as a line-item
and be passed before the American public is aware of
it. It is sneaky and underhanded and not what we are
paying our elected officials to do. Wake up, America.
It's time we get our heads out of the sand and make
our voices heard!
A former ostrich,
Sheri
=====
Jay Heeter
Alaska Coalition of Iowa
2010 E. 38th Street, Suite 204
Davenport, IA 52807-1133
(919) 641-6903 cell
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