Volunteers Needed to Help Conserve Mount St. Helens

We need phone bankers next Wednesday, October 15th (5 to 8 PM) to help turn out conservationists to a public meeting regarding the future of Mount St. Helens

Recently a Mount St. Helens advisory committee was created by US Reps Brian Baird and Norm Dicks, and US Sens. Maria Cantwell, and Patty Murray to help explore the communitys vision for the Monuments future. The advisory group has held public meeting once a month to gather public feedback and the meeting for October will focus on conservation. The advisory group lacks any conservation perspective and it also lacks a scientist which is why it is imperative that the public makes sure that conservation is a major priority in their recommendations to Congress. This is why it is important that we have a strong showing of conservation supporters at the public meeting on the 23rd which is why we need your help. Please attend our phone bank to get our members and supporters to attend the Mount St. Helens advisory groups conservation meeting on the 23rd.

If you are interested in helping us recruit conservation minded folks to attend this meeting please sign up for our phone bank on Wednesday, October 15th. The phone bank will start at 5:00 PM and go until 8:00. You can come for all three hours or help out for just one or two hours. Every little bit makes a difference. Drinks and snacks will be provided. We will likely have enough phones, but if you are able to bring a cell phone just in case we run out that would be helpful.

Please contact Julia at 503-221-2102 x103 or [email protected] to sign up. The phone bank will be held at the Gifford Pinchot Task Force offices in downtown Portland at 917 SW Oak St. Suite 418.

For more info on the Task Force you can visit www.gptaskforce.org, and for more info on the Mount St. Helens Advisory Committee you can check out: www.skamaniacounty.org/SHAC.htm.

For a few more details right now: The Mount St. Helens Advisory Committee meeting on conservation will be on Thursday Oct. 23, 2008 starting at 5:30. It will be held at the Lewis County Veteran's Museum. The Vet's Museum is located at 100 SW Veteran's Way in Chehalis off exit #77.

Talking Points:

- We need to preserve Mt. St. Helens natural ecosystem and accommodate its fragile and regenerative state. - We need to maintain the congressional intent of the Monument for scientific research and conservation. - We need to protect the Mt. St. Helens region from increasing development pressures. - We need to ensure that the public has the right to continued quiet recreational opportunities that many enjoy on Mt. St. Helens today. - We need to support the preservation and restoration of habitat for fish, wildlife, and vegetation in the region. - We need to acknowledge that funding is an integral part of preserving this area for public enjoyment as well as for conservation efforts.