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Update from Washington DC: Help Save RTCA If the Rivers and Trails Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program has been important to you, please act now and ask your Congress members for this budget increase in the amount of 3.8 million. To ACT NOW – submit your comments to your Congress members through the (IMBA) International Mountain Bicycling Association website. Download a brochure with the 2007 RTCA projects From the Rivers & Trails Coalition The Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program is a technical assistance program of the National Park Service (NPS) that implements the natural resource conservation and outdoor recreation mission of the NPS to states and local communities. RTCA yields enormous conservation and recreation benefits by fostering partnerships between federal, state, and local entities. The resulting cooperative efforts restore rivers and wildlife habitat, develop trail and greenway networks, preserve open space, and revitalize communities&emdash;all contributing to improved quality of life and close-to-home recreation opportunities. RTCA is a highly effective and cost efficient program. On average, the program partners protect nearly 700 miles of rivers, create more than 1,300 miles of trails, and conserve more than 61,000 acres of open space each year. Projects also promote transportation alternatives, brownfield redevelopment, youth conservation, and floodplain planning. RTCA plays a critical role in creating a nationwide network of parks and open spaces, fostering conservation partnerships, promoting volunteerism, and encouraging physical activity. Current demand for RTCA services greatly exceeds the program's capacity. Funding Status: RTCA is a successful and popular technical assistance program that coordinates nearly 300 projects annually, but its funding has remained relatively flat during the last decade and lagged well behind the rate of inflation. The program was cut by $200,000 in 2006 and remains flat funded at just above $8 million for 2007. As a result, the program's real budget has declined significantly and resulted in substantial cuts to staff. Cuts have also reduced staff participation in on-the-ground projects, diminishing essential services of this field-based program. RTCA had 90 positions (FTE's) in 2002, and currently has only 66 program staff in 2007. RTCA receives .003 or less than a third of 1% of the total funding for the NPS, yet it succeeds in leveraging the minimal federal investment and multiplying this investment many times over in local, state, and partnership direct funding and in-kind matches. Each year, the modest amount of NPS funding for staff time has helped leverage millions of dollars from other sources for its projects. The President's budget for 2007 calls for a program increase of $650,000 to provide technical assistance to connect trails to parks through new trail partnership projects, which the Rivers and Trails Coalition heartily supports. While this increase is crucial, it is still well below the amount required to restore this program to its former status. The RTCA program budget should be increased by $3.8 million in 2008 to $12 million to remedy the program's continued steady erosion, compensate for losses due to inflation, and enable the program to respond to effectively and efficiently to growing needs and opportunities in communities throughout the country. Funding Request: FY 2007 Appropriation (through Continuing Resolution): $8.135 million FY 2008 Administration budget request: $650k increase to $8.65 million FY 2008 Rivers & Trails Coalition request: $3.8 million increase for $12 million The Accokeek Foundation American Canoe Association American Hiking Society American Outdoors American Rivers American Society of Landscape Architects American Trails American Volkssport Association American Whitewater Appalachian Mountain Club Association of State Floodplain Managers Bay Circuit Alliance Bicycle Federation of America Bikes Belong Coalition Conservation District of Southern Nevada East Coast Greenway Alliance International Mountain Bicycling Association Jacksonville Woodlands Association Land Legacy Land Trust Alliance League of American Bicyclists National Association of Service & Conservation Corps National Audubon Society National Parks Conservation Association National Recreation and Park Association New York-New Jersey Trail Conference New York Parks and Conservation Association North American Water Trails Northern Forest Canoe Trail Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor Coalition Outdoor Industry Association Outside Las Vegas Foundation Parks & Trails New York Partnership for the National Trails System Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers Rails to Trails Conservancy River Network Scenic America South Carolina Dept. of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association Student Conservation Association Trout Unlimited Walk Boston Washington Area Bicyclist Association Washington Trails Association Washington Water Trails Association Download a brochure with the 2007 RTCA projects If the Rivers and Trails Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program has been important to you, please act now and 'ask' your Congress members for this budget increase in the amount of 3.8 million. To ACT NOW – submit your comments to your Congress members through the (IMBA) International Mountain Bicycling Association website. |
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Updated April 3, 2007
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