NWAC facing big cut - write your legislators

From the Friends of NWAC facebook page:
Washington residents...we need your help! The governor's proposed budget calls for a $79,000 cut to NWAC's budget. PLEASE find your legislator with this link and send them an e-mail telling them how important NWAC is...that it SAVES LIVES, facilitates transportation and helps the winter recreation industry generate A LOT of revenue and jobs in WA. Your voice does matter in Olympia. Please make it heard!
Find Your Legislator
apps.leg.wa.gov/

Compared with larger lobbying groups, bc skiers are a fairly small group so legislators need to hear our voices. Write today. Suggest they take a quick look at the NWAC site.
www.nwac.us/
-Jack

Good point. Not only are the avalanche forecasts and weather forecasts very valuable, but without the telemetry it would be back to the old school in planning trips.

I agree that NWAC is a valuable resource for commerce and recreation and that the component required for commerce should be publicly funded, however the recreational component although nice to have, is not a critical funding necessity and in these though times, cuts have to be made and the pain shared.

When public funding for Planned Parenthood is cut( which is just stupid) how can you expect recreational telemetry sites to be funded for the enjoyment of BC skiers???? The reduced public funding should still allow the avalanche forecasting for commerce.

With the amount of BC skiers in WA( According to WAC in his snowmobile/wilderness thread) it should be no problem to raise the $79,000 if BC skiers would stop expecting the government to fund the information to assist in their hobby and dip their hand into their pockets and make a donation to FONWAC to make up the funding reduction.
79,000/250 say= 316 avid Bc skiers x $250.
Aren't there 316 skiers on TAY willing to pay $250
or 632 willing  to pay $125??????

There is a $5 billion state budget shortfall in case you haven't heard.
How frivolous and self centered to expect our hobby to be funded when teachers are being cut and social services reduced and people experiencing genuine hardship.
Tax rates are ridiculously low on personal incomes...... tell your legislators to raise taxes not fund recreational hobbies.They won't because they want to be re-elected and there's the rub.

Well, if 316 of us dress up in our softshells, make some signs and hold a protest on the capitol steps we might get the job done in one day. I just don't want to be the one who appears in the soundbite on Komo 4 news...

The cost isn't in remote data sites. Its in the analysis of that data. And without that analysis, all you have is a bunch of automated weather stations that the average citizen won't be able to use. Analysis is a key piece of NWAC's mission - arguably its core - and that has to be done by a paid staff, in an office, on a computer.

This funding cut isn't going to close a single remote data site. It threatens to turn off the computer, close the office, and lay off the avalanche forecasters who provide a valuable service for public safety.

Writing your state legislator is one way to address this issue. Coming to Snowball is another - hope to see you there.

Chris

How frivolous and self centered to expect our hobby to be funded when teachers are being cut and social services reduced and people experiencing genuine hardship.

good point. I use the site daily in winter for my BC recreation, as well as other information available on the website. I believe in the Open Source community (works real well in the computing world), but for it to work at some point it takes contributions from the community to exploit its potential. I don't have $125 right now... but I just donated what I could on the FONWAC page, and will continue to contribute as I can.

The NWAC has made some great improvements on their website. I personally really like the telemetry graphs now available. I would hate to see these details go away...