If you have problems reading this email - see the attached documents ACTION ALERT - Dredging the GSL Marina DEADLINE - February 5, 2015 On February 6, 2015 the Appropriations Committee will decide how $1.5 million, currently being allocated from State Lands to State Parks to dredge 3 marinas (GSL, Antelope and Provo) will be divided up. Please contact the committee members, your Representative and your Senator and urge them to vote that all 1.5 million be used to dredge the GSL Marina. You are also encouraged to attend this committee meeting on February 6, 2015 at 8:00 am and speak up for this issue. What are Appropriations Committees<http://le.utah.gov/asp/Interim/Main.asp?ComType=App&List=2#Results>? The governor prepares a budget each year for which the legislature has a responsibility to review and approve funding for all of state government. There are eight appropriations subcommittees, appointed from all the members of the House and Senate by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. Each of the appropriations subcommittees considers a specific portion of the budget and makes recommendations to the executive appropriations committee which consists of all the legislative leaders of both parties in the Senate and the House. The legislators alter the budget as necessary and pass a final appropriations bill. After the budget has been adopted, it becomes the responsibility of the Governor and the Executive Branch to administer it. Excess funds in accounts at the end of the fiscal year are closed out (lapsed) except for certain funds which are noted in Utah statutes. All of these functions -- Standing, Interim, and Appropriations committees -- are very open processes which allow for everyone to be involved. How to find contact information Contact Your Government Official link http://www.utah.gov/government/contactgov.html Find out who your Representative and Senator is http://le.utah.gov/house2/index.html On the right hand side of the page, "Find a Representative", Choose start now, enter your street address and zip code, and it will bring up your Senators and Representative. You can find their individual contact information by clicking on their name. Who the Committee Members Are: Sen. David P. Hinkins, Chair Rep. Scott Chew Rep. Mike K. McKell, Chair Rep. Susan Duckworth Rep. Kay J. Christofferson, House Vice Chair Rep. Brian M. Greene Sen. Jim Dabakis Rep. Stephen G. Handy Sen. Margaret Dayton Rep. Timothy Hawkes Sen. Scott K. Jenkins Rep. Ken Ivory Sen. Peter C. Knudson Rep. Justin Miller Sen. Ralph Okerlund Rep. Michael E. Noel Sen. Kevin T. Van Tassell Rep. Lee B. Perry Rep. Scott Chew Rep Marc K. Roberts Timing is Critical Action Alerts are sent at the optimum time for influencing legislators, Act ASAP. We want this information to get to the Committee Members and Legislators BEFORE February 6, 2015. Method of Contact Letter Email Telephone Call Meeting in person (dress appropriately) Go to the Capital to talk to them (see notes at the end of this email for tips) - dress appropriately Speak For Yourself Tell your own story; give your own reasoning. Do not speak for anyone else, including State Parks employees at GSL. It is ok to mention if you are a member of the GSL Yacht Club. Tips to increase your chances of having your email or letter read. I have received the following advice from two Legislators: They are not likely to read "form letters or e-mails". If you are interested enough about a subject to contact them, then please take the time to compose your own letter. They are not likely to read any email that was sent to multiple recipients. This is their idea of legislative junk mail. If you are emailing, send each letter/email to only one recipient (however, to save time you can copy and paste your letter to another email). Act as a constituent When addressing your Representative or Senator in the subject line include: Appropriation of Funds to Dredge the GSL Marina, how you would like each person to vote, and that you are a constituent. Close with your name and address. If you are contacting them regarding a particular House or Senate bill, include the bill number (no bill number available for this situation). Example of Subject Line to your Rep or Senator: Constituent says vote YES for Appropriation of Funds to Dredge the GSL Marina Example of Subject line to Committee Member: Vote YES for Appropriation of Funds to Dredge the GSL Marina Use proper protocol in the body of the message. Address with proper title: Rep. Smith. Close with your full name and address. Add a telephone number if you suspect you might get a call (often from an intern). Stick to the one topic. Your message should be short and limited to one topic (bill). Try to be as brief and concise as possible. Forget past votes. The exception might be a very brief thank you or compliment for a past action, but do not muddy the water. Great Salt Lake Marina State Park Dredging 2015 IMPORTANT FACTS & TALKING POINTS Great Salt Lake Great Salt Lake currently has an area of 1500-1700 square miles, the largest body of water in the US outside of the Great Lakes. However, in high water years, the lake can cover as much as 3300 square miles. The lake is about 75 miles long and about 45 miles wide. The Great Salt Lake brings in 1.3 BILLION dollars to the Utah economy (Salt Lake Tribune Feb. 27, 2012) There are only three public accesses to Great Salt Lake proper. Howards Slew is only accessible to very shallow draft boats. Antelope Island Marina is also only accessible to very shallow duck boats or kayaks at current lake levels. That leave the Great Salt Lake Marina as the only access for sailing vessels. Great Salt Lake Marina State Park · Great Salt Lake Marina is home to the oldest and largest sailing community in Utah. · Great Salt Lake Marina has been in its current location in one form or another for nearly 100 years. · Great Salt Lake Marina is home to the Great Salt Lake Yacht Club, the oldest Yacht Club west of the Mississippi and one of the 10 oldest in the nation. The Great Salt Lake Yacht Club was formed before Utah was a State. · Of 43 Utah State Parks, only 5 are operating in the black. Great Salt Lake Marina State Park is one of those 5, generating excess revenue to help support other state parks. · Fiscal year 2014 Great Salt Lake Marina brought in $455,000 in revenues. Roughly $300,000 was slip rent. The Great Salt Lake Marina brought in a net profit to Utah State Parks of about $154,000 (which is used to support other state parks and marinas). The Great Salt Lake Marina has 320 boat slips. Due to low water levels and silting that has built up over the last 30 years, many boats have lost the ability to navigate out of the marina. In the past 3 years, 80 of those boats have left the marina, resulting in a loss of revenue to the state of Utah of $120,000 annually in slip rent. If dredging does not happen in this marina this year many more boats will be leaving, losing more slip rental fees, property taxes and registration fees. The loss of many more boats will result in the park being unable to continue to operate at a profit, and will likely join the other 37 parks that operate at a loss. · Every spring the Great Salt Lake Marina has a crane available to put sailboats in and out of the water. Typically, more sailboats go in the water in the spring than come out. This is year could be the exception, many people are now considering pulling their sailboats out (permanently) in the spring, before their sailboat gets stuck in the silt (mud) or they can no longer navigate to the area needed to be removed by the crane. · The boat launch ramp inside the Great Salt Lake Marina is not currently usable to most boats. Until dredging occurs, this launch ramp is only accessible to very shallow draft boats, not sailboats. · Once these sailboats leave the state, Utah also loses the registration fees, which is lost revenue for State Boating Restricted Funds (which pay for Search and Rescue Boats and fuel for these boats) · Without dredging, it is likely that many more will leave the Great Salt Lake this year. These boats don't just sit in someone's driveway waiting until they can once again get out of the marina, most boat owners will re-locate their boats to other states, mainly California, and never come back. Transporting a boat is very expensive, and once these boats leave they are not likely to be brought back to the Great Salt Lake. Not only is this the loss of slip rental, but property tax dollars as well (and property taxes benefit education). Visitor Center · Being only 15 minutes from downtown Salt Lake, the Great Salt Lake Marina is one of the most visited state parks. Numerous our buses are in and out of the marina every day of the week. In 2012 it was reported that 254,000 visitors came to Great Salt Lake State Park. · The newly constructed Visitor Center, brought in revenue of $97,000 last year, and is on track to at least double that this year. The marina is very picturesque, with stunning sunsets behind the sailboats in the harbor. Sailboats and sailboat harbors are one of the most photographed places on earth, how many visitors will want to come visit and empty deserted marina? · Great Salt Lake Marina is the home of Gonzo Boat Rentals and Tours, and Sailing Solutions. These are two charter businesses that give opportunities to tourists to get out on the lake and learn more about this unique state resource. If we have a weak snowpack both these concessionaries may well be trapped inside the undredged marina, eliminating a valuable resource for tourists to venture out on the lake. Redesign · Redesign of the marina mouth at the time of dredging would minimize dredging maintenance in the future by redirecting the silt. Life or Death - the Rescue Boats · The Utah State Parks & Recreation Rescue boats operate out of the Great Salt Lake Marina. These boats rescue duck hunters, kayakers, paddle boarders, swimmers, sailboats, brine shrimpers and downed airplanes. It is absolutely critical that the rescue boats can navigate in and out of the marina safely. Guidelines for Writing an Effective Letter or an Email Use a standard letter format. If you're unsure about this, work with a format from a computer program. Computers usually have such programs as part of their basic packages. Start the letter explaining who you are and why you are contacting the committee. A committee needs to know who it is dealing with and why. Even if you already know some members of the committee, don't assume they will explain to the others who you are and why you are writing. Adopt the right tone for your letter. Whoever you are writing to and whatever you are writing about, the tone for a letter to a committee should be formal and business-like. You should not adopt an aggressive tone nor one that is too submissive. Your goal is to come across as calm, reasonable and logical. Be concise with your words. Keep your sentences and paragraphs short. Don't use jargon unless you're sure each member of the committee will understand you. Also avoid cliché and padding. Stick to the facts and the points you want to make. If you're writing a letter of recommendation about someone, be honest. Don't exaggerate someone's accomplishments beyond what the person is capable of doing. Keep the letter as short as possible. There is no ideal length, but a letter to a committee should contain everything you want to say and no more. Letters that consist of many pages rarely impress committee members. If you have lengthy information you want to tell the committee, consider putting it in a separate appendix to the letter. End the letter with a brief summary of your points. You don't necessarily have to do this. If you have written about a complex matter, however, the committee members may appreciate a summary. Type your letter on a computer, and use a spelling and grammar checker. Keep a record of your letter in an appropriate file. For more information read this week's cover story in City Weekly 'Hey, I'm Talking To You! How to get lawmakers to listen to you - not just lobbyists' http://www.cityweekly.net/ How to Find a Legislator During the Legislative Session Revised from copy provided by the LWV NM Coalition to End Homelessness It's always best to talk with a legislator in person rather than just leaving a note. Tracking down a legislator during the session can be challenging, but with a little persistence, you should be able to find him/her in the capitol. Here are a few tips on how to do so. 1) Find out where your legislator's office is located. Best to check the printed directory that you can obtain in the lobby of the Roundhouse. The people at the information desk can also help. 2) Go the legislator's office and ask the legislator's secretary if you can meet with your legislator. You do NOT need an appointment to meet with your legislator. If your legislator is available, he/she will meet with you. The earlier it is in the morning, the more likely it is that you will find your legislator in his/her office. 3) If the legislator is not in, ask the appropriate secretary where to find him/her. When not in their offices, legislators are usually in committee meetings or on the floor of the Senate or House Chambers. 4) If the legislator is in a committee meeting: Ask the secretary which room the committee meeting is being held in. Go to the committee room and check things out. If the committee meeting has not started then you might be able to talk with your legislator. If the meeting has started, you can wait for him/her to step out of the room or you can wait for the committee meeting to end and approach your legislator as he/she is leaving. 5) If the legislator is on the House or Senate Floor, and it is not in session: If the House or Senate is not in session, you are usually welcome to walk onto the floor and find your legislators (made easier with the signs on their desks). If the legislator is free just approach him/her and ask if you can have a few moments to explain why you are there. 5) If the legislator is on the House or Senate Floor, and it is in session: Most legislators will leave the floor in order to meet briefly with their constituents. Go down to the House or Senate chambers. There will be a staff person at the entrance. Let him/her know who you would like to see and complete the form provided. The staff person will go onto the House or Senate floor and let your legislator know that you would like to meet. If the legislator is available he/she will come out and meet with you for a few moments. 6) If you have tried all of these options and still have not found your legislator, return to the legislator's office and leave an appropriate fact sheet or other pertinent information and a personal note containing your contact information with the legislator's secretary. 7) Send an email follow-up message. Janet Robins The Safety Consortium 400 W. Lawndale Dr. Salt Lake City, UT 84115 Phone: 801-746-2462 Fax: 801-803-6266