Please attend a forum on Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund The first two forums are this week--see the entire list of meetings below. Grinnell 9/24/08 @ 6:30 pmOld Glove Factory, 733 Broad St. (part of Grinnell College) Independence 9/25/08 @ 6:30 PMHeartland Acres (the big, barn-like building on the west side of Independence off HWY 20) The Sustainable Funding Coalition, a diverse group of Iowa organizations (including Sierra Club, TNC, INHF, Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, Iowa Farmers Union, Izaak Walton League, Environment Iowa, Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa Rivers Revival, etc.) that works for sustainable conservation funding, is sponsoring a series of candidate forums on the proposed Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. So you can make your voice heard on this important issue, this e-mail provides background information on the forums, a list of forum dates & locations, and pre-registration instructions. About the Fund: The proposed Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund would provide a permanent funding source to support efforts to improve and preserve Iowa's water quality, soils, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation opportunities. To create the fund, proposed legislation mandates that 3/8ths of a cent from state sales tax revenue will be appropriated for the Trust Fund the next time the Iowa legislature approves a sales tax increase. The Sustainable Funding Coalition hopes to pass Trust Fund legislation during Iowa's 2009 legislative session. NOTE: This bill does not raise taxes, nor does it give voters the ability to raise the sales tax-only the legislature can do that. About the forums: Ten candidate forums scattered throughout the state provide a chance for citizens and legislators/candidates to discuss this legislation together. Please consider attending the forum nearest you to learn more about this proposal, show your legislators/candidates that Iowans care about conservation funding, and promote passing the needed legislation for this fund during Iowa's 2009 legislative session. How to pre-register & attend: Find the forum nearest you in the list below and then pre-register at http://conservation-candidate-forum.speedsurvey.com . NOTE: Pre-registration is critical because individual events may be canceled if pre-registration numbers are low. Schedule of Forums CommunityDate/TimeLocation Grinnell 9/24/08 @ 6:30 pmOld Glove Factory, 733 Broad St. (part of Grinnell College) Independence 9/25/08 @ 6:30 PMHeartland Acres (the big, barn-like building on the west side of Independence off HWY 20) Perry 9/29/2008 @ 6:30 PMIACCB - Forest Park Musuem (south of Perry) Ames 9/30/2008 @ 6:30 PMAmes Public Library Fort Dodge 10/1/2008 @ 7 PMIowa Central Community College - One Triton Circle Muscatine 10/4/2008 @ 9AMthe Student Center at Muscatine Community College, 152 Colorado in Muscatine Mason City 10/6/2008 @ 6:30Mason City Library Atlantic 10/8/08 @ 6:30Cass County Community Center Des Moines 10/8/2008 @ 6:30Izaak Walton League - DM Chariton 10/14/2008 @ 7 PMPin Oak Nature Center on HWY 14 south of Chariton If you have questions about the forum, please contact Rosalyn Lehman, Campaign Coordinator, Sustainable Funding Coalition, at 515.202.7720 or [log in to unmask] . This message prepared by INHF and forwarded by Jane Clark. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp