Save the Heritage Fund

[Bob La Londe]

From: http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/heritage_program.shtml

About the Heritage Fund

Arizona voters created the Heritage Fund in 1990, designating up to $10 million a year from lottery ticket sales for the conservation and protection of the state’s wildlife and natural areas.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department spends its Heritage Fund dollars to recover threatened and endangered species, to help urban residents appreciate and coexist with our unique wildlife, to educate children about the environment, and to create new opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Because the department receives no money from the state's General Fund like most other state agencies do to cover their operating budgets, income from the Heritage Fund is critical to recovering and sustaining Arizona’s unique native wildlife and to managing more than 800 native species.

Listen to citizens speaking out to save our state parks.
http://azheritage.wordpress.com/

Contact information for your state legislature.
http://www.azleg.gov/

Don't take, "sorry, can't be helped," for an answer. Tell them what I told them. If I go broke because of the economy I can't go steal somebody else's money and they should not be able to either. I have to find my own legal way to survive.

If you are going to do anything it needs to be done NOW!

[Bob La Londe]

Here is a sample letter somebody suggested.

February 3, 2010

The Honorable Jan Brewer
Governor of Arizona
1700 West Washington
Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Dear Governor, I am writing to ask that you do not support taking the Heritage fund away from its intended purpose.

This Fund was created in 1990 and was approved by an overwhelming margin of votes that year. The voters once again approved the Heritage Fund by a 2:1 margin again in 1998, and yet again in 2002.

I can assure you that if you allow the state to raid the Heritage Fund you will NOT have my vote come election day. It is high time for the "politicians" in this state to be held accountable for their actions.

The Heritage Fund belongs to the people of this great state. It does not belong to you and it certainly does not belong in the general fund. Our politicians have proven time and again that they cannot be trusted to manage our tax dollars.

Why is it that the Arizona Game and Fish Department, which doesn't rely on General Tax Dollars isn't bankrupt like the state government is?

AZGFD instead is operated more a like any individual operates his or her business. It is a user pay / user benefit situation. The more products and services of value that it provides to its customers, the more customers are willing to pay. This in turn raises more dollars for AZGFD to provide wildlife management and conservation programs throughout the state.

Raiding the Heritage fund will cost many jobs for your constituents, and eliminate several programs that generate billions of dollars in revenue and taxes for this state. Surely you are not so short sighted that you cannot see the ramifications of this proposed action.
Governor, I hope that I can count on your support to leave the Heritage Fund intact.

[landlunker]

Thanks Bob
A copy of your letter , from my family is on the way to the govenor