City Parks Alliance has recently shared a letter with Congress outlining key park priorities that should be included in the upcoming budget reconciliation package. This is the large infrastructure package that is being negotiated in Congress. City Parks Alliance members have the opportunity to help circulate this letter as widely as possible, while also reaching out to their members of Congress and the press to advocate for the importance of the inclusion of city parks in reconciliation. We have made it easy for you to take these steps!
We are urging Congress to support city parks by including the Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act (one-time $500 million investment to local parks), increasing funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (green infrastructure), and investing in the Civilian Climate Corps (park jobs preserving local parks) in the budget reconciliation package.
We have created a toolkit for our members to use. It is our hope that you will call or email your Senators and Representative in the next week or so urging them to support these three initiatives. It is easy! Just use the language we have provided. For the phone calls a receptionist will answer and will be taking notes on your comments.
If your organization cannot lobby you may replace the Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act (H.R. 1678/S. 2258) with language that says you support robust funding for city parks.
Phone Call to Senate and House offices:
“Hello. My name is [NAME], and I am a constituent and [TITLE AND RELATIONSHIP TO PARK]. I am also a member of City Parks Alliance, an organization that works on behalf of city parks throughout the country to support the creation, revitalization, and sustainability of parks and green spaces that contribute to more vibrant and equitable cities.
I am calling to urge [MEMBER NAME] to support provisions that improve city parks in the upcoming $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package and will address complex economic, environmental, and social challenges facing metropolitan areas today. Congress has the opportunity to provide city parks with much-needed federal assistance in reconciliation with the inclusion of the Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act (H.R. 1678/S. 2258), increased funding for Clean Water State Revolving Fund at $8 billion per year, and investment in the Civilian Climate Corps.
City parks are critical infrastructure that require adequate federal investment to ensure equitable quality and access, and I ask that [MEMBER NAME] advocate for this in reconciliation negotiations.
Would you please have the Legislative Assistant that handles outdoor recreation issues call me back please so we can discuss further? I can be reached at [CONTACT INFORMATION]. Thank you.
Email your member of Congress:
[NOTE: YOU MAY NEED TO COPY AND PASTE THIS INTO THE COMMENT PAGE ON YOUR MEMBER’S WEBSITE. YOU CAN FIND YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS HERE]
“Dear [MEMBER NAME],
I am a constituent and [TITLE AND RELATIONSHIP TO PARK]. I am also a member of City Parks Alliance, an organization that works on behalf of city parks throughout the country to support the creation, revitalization, and sustainability of parks and green spaces that contribute to more vibrant and equitable cities.
I am writing to urge [MEMBER NAME] to support provisions that improve city parks in the upcoming $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package and will address complex economic, environmental, and social challenges facing metropolitan areas today. Congress has the opportunity to provide city parks with much-needed federal assistance in reconciliation with the inclusion of the Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act (H.R. 1678/S. 2258), increased funding for Clean Water State Revolving Fund at $8 billion per year, and investment in the Civilian Climate Corps.
City parks are critical infrastructure that require adequate federal investment to ensure equitable quality and access, and I ask that [MEMBER NAME] advocate for this in reconciliation negotiations.
Would you please have the Legislative Assistant that handles outdoor recreation issues call me back please so we can discuss further? I can be reached at [CONTACT INFORMATION]. Thank you.
Letter to the Editor (LTE)
[NOTE: IT IS BEST TO HAVE LTE’s RESPOND TO A SPECIFIC ARTICLE OR EDITORIAL THAT THE PAPER HAS ALREADY RUN. IN ORDER TO HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF GETTING THIS LETTER PRINTED, REFER TO THE PREVIOUS ARTICLE IN THE FIRST SENTENCE OF THE LETTER AND THEN RESPOND DIRECTLY TO IT. BELOW IS A GENERIC SAMPLE, BUT YOUR LETTER WILL BE DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON THE ARTICLE YOU CHOSE TO RESPOND TO AND YOUR OWN OPINIONS REGARDING THE SITUATION]
Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my support of increased city parks funding in Congress’ upcoming budget reconciliation package. With almost 80% of Americans living in urban areas, this is a national priority; city parks make cities more livable, environmentally resilient, attract businesses and jobs, increase economic competitiveness, and create new revenue streams – all while saving cities billions on traditional environmental and civic infrastructure costs.
Congress has begun negotiations on the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package. This legislation presents a rare opportunity to secure critical federal investment in city parks with the inclusion of the Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act (H.R. 1678/S. 2258), increased funding for Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) at $8 billion per year, and investment in the Civilian Climate Corps (CCC).
[INCLUDE INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR PARK OR COMMUNITY—WHAT DO YOU NEED THIS FEDERAL FUNDING FOR, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY DESCRIBE THE IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY]
Sincerely,
[SIGNATURE]
Social Media Posts:
Share content from City Parks Alliance or other outlets in support of investment in city parks. Make sure to tag your members of Congress in your tweet. You can find them here. Add a brief caption expressing your position, or share as a standalone post:
- @memberofcongress @memberofcongress @memberofcongress Excited to see this letter from @CityParksAll to Congress! City parks are critical infrastructure and need federal support now more than ever! bit.ly/3hgLu5z
- @memberofcongress @memberofcongress @memberofcongress Quality parks are a major win for cities! Check out this @CityParksAll letter to Congress on the importance of supporting city parks in reconciliation: bit.ly/3hgLu5z
- @memberofcongress @memberofcongress @memberofcongress Leveraging the power of city parks can strengthen economies, improve public health, and address environmental challenges. Thank you @CityParksAll for this letter to Congress: bit.ly/3hgLu5z
- @memberofcongress @memberofcongress @memberofcongress City parks drastically improve the quality of life for community members, while saving cities billions on traditional infrastructure costs— Check out this letter from @CityParksAll for more: bit.ly/3hgLu5z
- @memberofcongress @memberofcongress @memberofcongress Congress must support city parks in Reconciliation to invest in the economies, health, and safety of vulnerable communities. Read more from @CityParksAll here: bit.ly/3hgLu5z
Where possible, add use the following hashtags to allow people to find your tweet easier:
-
- #powerofparks
- #parksareinfrastructure
- #parkequity
Invitation to Congressional member for site visit:
(CPA realizes this is a much bigger ask of its members)
Dear [MEMBER NAME],
My name is [NAME], and I am a constituent and member of City Parks Alliance. Since 2000, City Parks Alliance has worked on behalf of city parks throughout the country to support the creation, revitalization, and sustainability of parks and green spaces that contribute to more vibrant and equitable cities.
As negotiations begin on the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package, Congress has a unique opportunity to provide city parks with much-needed federal assistance with the inclusion of the Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act (H.R. 1678/S. 2258), increased funding for Clean Water State Revolving Fund at $8 billion per year, and investment in the Civilian Climate Corps.
As [TITLE AND RELATIONSHIP TO PARK], I am writing to invite you to [SITE] on [DATE(S)], where I hope you can see the integral role that parks play in so many aspects of our community, and why they need your support.
[SPECIFIC SITE INFORMATION, NEEDS OF COMMUNITY]
Nothing could be more impactful than seeing first-hand the improvements to your constituents’ lives that come from increased investment in city parks. [IF MEMBER HAS PREVIOUSLY SUPPORTED PARKS LEGISLATION: Thank you for all of the work that you have already done for the parks community.] I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
[NAME]
