Earth Day Network

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Fund the 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps

February 10, 2010

Subject:

Dear Member of Congress:

On behalf of our millions of members and supporters nationwide we urge you to fully fund the 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps, a new initiative that is included in the Department of Interior’s FY 2010 budget at $70 million, an increase of $50 million over FY 2009.

We are pleased that the FY 2010 budget proposal from the Department of Interior contains historic new investments to connect children and families to the great outdoors. The budget targets $30 million for educating young hunters and anglers, as well as $20 million in new funding for Youth Careers in Nature. This initiative, dubbed the 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps, will bolster environmental education, recreation, and service programs throughout the Department, and engage thousands of youth in the outdoors.

We are encouraged that this budget explicitly seeks new and innovative ways to connect children with nature at the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Geological Survey. The Administration states: “The [youth] initiative will do more than simply build upon existing youth education programs… Interior bureaus will implement new, creative ways to energize youth and instill a life-long commitment to protect, preserve and enjoy our natural environment and cultural treasures.”

This investment is critical at a time when research tells us that children today spend half as much time outside as they did just twenty years ago. In fact, our nation’s young people spend an average of six and a half hours every day plugged into electronic media. We need to reverse this troubling trend to ensure the future of American conservation and to protect our children’s mental and physical health by creating opportunities for active, healthy outdoor experiences.

Therefore, we urge you to fund the 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps at $70 million in FY 2010.

Sincerely,

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