----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Steve Smith <stevenlsm...@usa.net> To: stevenlsm...@usa.net Sent: Sat, May 7, 2011 9:22:20 AM Subject: NSS Conservation Network >From Jim Werker and Val Hildreth-Werker, NSS Conservation Division Co-Chairs (through the NSS Conservation Network - Steve Smith, Coordinator): We just received this information from Peter Youngbaer, NSS WNS Liaison, who requested that it be sent out on the NSS Conservation Network (NSSCN). Please pass the word out to the folks within your IO. Thanks! Jim & Val . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dear NSS Members, We need your help to contact your U.S. Senators about research funding for White Nose Syndrome as soon as possible. A sign-on letter initiated by Sen. Lautenberg, NJ and Sen. Leahy, VT, is being circulated now, requesting that members join them in asking for $10.8 M in funding for WNS. ACTION: Please contact your Senator's office and ask them to sign on to Sen. Lautenberg's and Leahy's WNS letter. If any of the offices agree to sign on please let me know at wnsliai...@caves.org, so that we can take them off the list. Contact information for your Senators is here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm Please call the Washington, D.C. phone number as ask to speak with the staff person who handles Environmental affairs for the Senator. If you have a personal contact, use that instead. Why is this important, and why now? Congress has just returned after a recess, and all the appropriations requests from members are being taken at this time. The approach we are supporting is a significant change from prior efforts, in that funding would be given to a variety of federal agencies, not just U.S. Fish and Wildlife. This will help bring a more balanced approach to WNS activities. As you know, this is an extremely difficult time for any federal funding. Without research that can help us answer questions about WNS, we will continue to see management decisions based on hopeful prevention strategies and speculation. For details on the collaborative budgetary initiative, please review this testimony, prepared by a number of organizations, including the NSS, and delivered by BCI's Executive Director, Nina Fascione: http://www.caves.org/WNS/BCI%20House%20Int%20Approps%204-15-11%20Final.pdf To help you speak with confidence and knowledge about the NSS and our involvement in the WNS effort, please refer to this document: http://www.caves.org/WNS/The%20NSS%20and%20WNS%20final.pdf ACTION: Please make your contacts now. We are looking for as many Senate signers as possible by Tuesday. ACTION: Please feel free to forward this message to any other lists. Thank you, Peter Youngbaer wnsliai...@caves.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In my never-ending quest to keep the NSSCN E-Mail addressee list as current as possible, I'd appreciate it greatly if each IO would send me their "druthers" on who within the IO they'd like to receive this info. Usually, this info should go to the IO Conservation Chair, for subsequent forwarding out to their respective membership. If the IO does not have a designated Conservation Chair, then this info should go to the overall IO Chair. Please send me any addressee changes/updates due to IO internal elections, folks moving out of town, etc. Thanks! Steve Smith, NSSCN coordinator _______________________________________________ SWR mailing list s...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/swr_caver.net
