Dear Campaign Advocate,

To those communities that have submitted case statements for the 2010 Campaign for Active Transportation: THANK YOU! More than 40 communities from across the country, large and small, responded to this call. Echoed over and over in your case statements was the need and community support for targeted federal investments in active transportation, along with the critical benefits such funding would yield. This chorus of voices for improved active transportation networks is truly impressive.

At Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), we’ve been busy processing all these case statements to create visibility for your efforts and to develop a national case for a new active transportation program. Stay tuned for more information and next steps on the campaign, including links to material from other engaged communities.

TWO ACTION ITEMS:

1) Organizing the release of your local case statement

Now that case statements have been submitted, the next step for you as local campaign advocates is to organize a public release of your case statement. RTC is composing a national case statement that will make the case for greater federal investment in active transportation, pulling material from many of your case statements.

RTC plans to release this report on October 20. Please plan to hold your own release event on the same day as this national release.

This is a golden opportunity to attract significant community attention and energy to your campaign. Plus, because communities across the country will be holding similar releases, you will be helping generate national media interest and energy for walking and biking. Please consider the following carefully as you plan the event:

• Who will speak? Who / what agency will coordinate logistics? What name(s) will go on the press release as the contact person?
• Who will be quoted in the release? Will they be on-hand for the event for follow-up quotes for the press?
• Will you have any congressional members present? If not, what about other key elected officials?
• Where will the release take place? On a trail or at a trail opening? By a government building? At a major transit center?
• If you decide not to hold the release by a trail or other key facility, is there some other way you can do a “show-and-tell”?

Prior to this release, you should be devoting time and energy to refining your case statement for public release. Building broad support for your case statement and campaign effort will also help you achieve your objectives.

To help with your public releases, RTC will provide a comprehensive packet of information. Keep an eye out for this two-part packet later this month, with more to come in late September. Among other items, this packet will include:

• Talking points and sample letters-to-the-editor focused on specific issues
• An overview of the process to engage the media
• Sample press releases

These releases will launch the next stage of the campaign, in which campaign representatives, both locally and nationally, will engage the support of key congressional members.

2) Local active transportation photographs needed

For the national report, we are seeking photos of active transportation images. Please e-mail us photographs that depict your local walking or bicycling facilities or use. Photos that depict unique or unusual facilities are particularly desired.

Submitting photographs provides your community another chance to be highlighted in RTC’s national report.

Guidelines:

• By sending in photographs, you grant Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) permission to use your submissions in the above national report and other publications.
• Please submit only electronic images at least 2 MB in size, though smaller files that are clear and well-composed will be accepted. Photos under 300 kb cannot be accepted.
• Name each photo file with the city and photographer name (and trail, if applicable) so that we can give credit appropriately.
• If the picture contains identifiable children, a permission form signed by a parent or guardian must be submitted. For photos taken for this effort, please submit the same form for adults as well, if possible.
• Any cyclist in a photo must be wearing a helmet to encourage safe bicycling, and cyclists and pedestrians should be obeying recognized rules of the road/trail.
• Please keep the camera’s date stamp feature turned off as this greatly diminishes our ability to use the photo.

How to submit (via RTC’s FTP site):

1. Right-click on the "Start" button on the Windows bar (bottom-left of your screen). 
2. Select "Explore." 
3. In the address bar of the window that appears, paste or type ftp://209.16.232.72/ 
4. Enter your username RTC_Policy and password case$ 
5. Copy photos from your computer and paste them in the new FTP window.
6. Be sure files are clearly named so they are easily identified.
7. Close the FTP window after you see your files appear there.
8. E-mail kartik@railstotrails.org to notify us that photos have been submitted.

SPECIAL REQUEST: If possible, photos of any members of your congressional delegation (or any other elected officials) on a bike would be highly appreciated! Demonstrating political support for active transportation in an “artistic” fashion like this can do a lot to bolster public interest.

Thank you,

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
2121 Ward Ct., NW
5th Floor
Washington, DC 20037
+1-202-331-9696