Save FUF's Budget!

From my inbox:

WE NEED YOUR URGENT ACTION TO PRESERVE FUNDING FOR SAN FRANCISCO'S URBAN FOREST! PLEASED CALL AND EMAIL THE SUPERVISORS LISTED BELOW! PASS THIS ALERT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES - IF WE LOSE, THIS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, $2.5 MILLION WILL BE GUTTED FROM THE CITY'S URBAN FOREST BUDGET.

WHAT'S HAPPENING:

San Francisco's urban forest funding has been eliminated in Supervisor Daly's sudden new budget proposal. Currently, Friends of the Urban Forest receives $162,000 from the City to plant & maintain street trees in San Francisco, and this entire sum will be cut from the budget in Daly's proposal, meaning FUF will receive nothing from the San Francisco city budget to plant and maintain trees in the coming year. According to a UC Davis study, San Francisco derives a $7.5 million environmental and socio-economic benefit from its street trees each year, but this proposal would contribute zero funds from the City for groups like FUF to continue to ensure that the City maintains this benefit.

ADDITIONALLY, $2.5 million will be cut from the City's own tree planting and maintenance program under this proposal. This means, for example, that the 1500 street trees planted earlier this year by the City will get no watering and maintenance, and will very likely die.

YOU CAN STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING, BUT YOU MUST ACT NOW!

The Board of Supervisors' Budget Committee will vote on this controversial proposal this Wednesday, June 13 at 1PM. There are five members on the committee, including Supervisor Daly, and if three Supervisors vote for this proposal, all this money will be cut from the budget, and the full Board of Supervisors (all 11 members) won't even get the chance to vote on it. (All told, Supervisor Daly's proposed alternatives to Mayor Newsom's budget total $37 million).

Also, before the committee meets, there will be a rally opposing the cuts on the Polk Street City Hall steps at noon on Wednesday. Join us and show your support for San Francisco's urban forest!

We need your support at this time to:

·Call and email the Budget Committee Supervisors listed below telling them to vote NO on Daly's proposal (sample language below)
·Come to the rally in support of our urban forest and living, not dead, trees on Wednesday, June 13 at noon on the steps of City Hall (Polk Street side).
·Make public comment in support of the Mayor's programs at the Budget Committee on June 13 at 1PM, City Hall, Room 250
·Tell friends about this threat to our city's trees, and strongly encourage them to write and call too.
·Write a letter to the Editor in the Chronicle and Examiner.

Find more information about the proposed cuts here.
Daly's Amended Motion, These Cuts Detailed, Questions about Daly's Process

Please email and call immediately to the Supervisors and especially to the Budget Committee -- Supervisors Dufty, Elsbernd, Mirkarimi, Daly, and Ammiano. Here's a list of e-mails and phone numbers:

Dist. 5 Ross Mirkarimi
554-7630 Ross.Mirkarimi@sfgov.org

Dist. 6 Chris Daly
554-7970 Chris.Daly@sfgov.org

Dist. 7 Sean Elsbernd
554-6516 Sean.Elsbernd@sfgov.org

Dist. 8 Bevan Dufty
554-6968 Bevan.Dufty@sfgov.org

Dist. 9 Tom Ammiano
554-5144 Tom.Ammiano@sfgov.org

Sample letter and calling language (please re-draft in your own words):

Dear Supervisor _______________,

I strongly support a thriving urban forest in San Francisco. You must reject the proposal to slash the City's urban forest budget and eliminate funding of Friends of the Urban Forest. Without this funding, 1500 trees planted in San Francisco in 2007 will die, and FUF's efforts to continue to build community and enhance our city's urban environment will be severely restricted.

Thank you.

IMPORTANT: If you live in the district of the Supervisor you are writing to, please be sure to tell him!
Supervisors District Map

Sincerely,
Friends of the Urban Forest

I'm a big fan of FUF and a long time volunteer so I really support what they do and encourage you to do what you can to help save their budget. The city wouldn't be the same without it.

Thanks!