WHAT CAN WE DO to SAVE THE LOOP?

Save the Loop is a grassroots initiative that strives to communicate a vital message from the citizens of Volusia County. Our message is that the people in our community are alarmed by the apparently unfettered development that is leading to suburban sprawl and the degradation of our beautiful and irreplaceable natural heritage. We strive to share this message from citizens with the Volusia County Council, the governments of all the cities in Volusia County, and the legislature and regulatory bodies of the State of Florida. We feel that it is important for us as constituents to communicate our urgent concerns to our elected officials, and to encourage them to work toward controlling growth and securing the quality of life we have come to treasure. We encourage you to let the government of your city know how you feel about these issues. Speaking out now will not only help with the preservation of the Loop - it will serve to bring quality-of-life and preservation issues to the forefront as they become increasingly important in the future of our county. Here are some specific actions you can take in the campaign to help SAVE THE LOOP. Please encourage your group to join you in these activities.

Subscibe to Save the Loop action mailings. Click here to and request being added to the list. Join the Ormond Beach Scenic Loop Corridor Advocacy Group Wear a SAVE THE LOOP button or t-shirt Plant a SAVE THE LOOP sign in your yard; display a SAVE THE LOOP bumper sticker on your car. E-mail, write or call all the County Council representatives. Tell the County Council you know that at the time they voted to allow the rezoning of Plantation Oaks and the John Collins property that there had not been adequate (or any) studies pertaining to hurricane preparedness, provision of water and sewer, impact on surrounding area, the golf course's impact (pesticides, herbicides, stormwater retention), a tree survey to identify heritage trees, biological reports and water resource studies. County Council contact information is provided at the bottom of this document. To contact Council members online, go to volusia.org. Express your appreciation to the County Council for responding to us, their constituency, by making the study of growth impact a primary goal. Reassure the County Council of your confidence that economic development can happen within a context of stringently managed growth. "Growth" is not a synonym for "economic development." Growth can happen independently of economic development. This has been demonstrated by our current pattern, which has encouraged growth even in the absence of new economic endeavors. Growth has not, and probably will never, pay for itself. Let's reverse the pattern and make economic development occur first. Let's look for examples to the Florida Keys, Boulder CO, Augusta ME and Oregon, places where limited growth has led to increasing the economic base. Let the County Council know you are concerned about the continued availability of inexpensive water for those of us already here. Let them know you do not support expensive alternatives for obtaining clean water such as using St. John's River water or desalinating ocean water. Unlimited water use for new development is a serious threat to our limited readily available water supply. Underscore to the County Council that if Plantation Oaks should become a reality that you want to see a large buffer created to protect the canopy trees over Old Dixie Highway, and that you oppose creating another access road onto this outstanding byway. Also let them know you oppose permitting of a golf course within the subdivision. Remind the County Council that the Chamber of Commerce promoted the Loop worldwide as a bicycler/biker destination. We would lose tourist trade if the Loop were to be destroyed. (For an outstanding example, visit daytonachamber.com.) Write letters to the Editor of the Daytona Beach News Journal supporting the Save the Loop initiative Call in or send e-mail to local radio talk shows like the The Roland Via Show with Greg Lake and Roland Via, and Big Talk with Big John (both on WELE 1380 AM), as well as The Mark Bernier Show on WNDB 1150 AM. Talk to your friends and neighbors and share your views. Ask them to wear buttons, display yard signs, and join you in these other actions Talk to any organization of which you are a member -- Rotary, Kiwanis, K of C, CYO, Moose, Elks, your church, temple, mosque, professional group, scouts, gym, sports team, drama club, dance group, political group, garden club -- any group you belong to. Tell them how you feel and ask them to support actions to Save the Loop. If your club or organization has a newsletter, write an article expressing your views on Saving the Loop Tell your club or organization that their endorsement of Save the Loop efforts will make a significant impact on the situation. Get them in touch with the Save the Loop group so they can be part of large-scale public relations activity. The more we have on board the better. Tell everyone you talk to that this is not necessarily an environmental issue, but rather a quality of life issue that affects all of us personally as well as affecting the habitat we leave to our children and grandchildren. Are we to leave them nothing but manicured lawns and paving? Do we really want a George Jetson future? Remind everyone that information about Saving the Loop can be obtained on our website at www.savetheloop.org Donate to the cause.

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