RLEP must grow toward its goals

by Paul R. Farmer

In 1970, 85 conservationists in a young environmental group, the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection, successfully challenged a giant utility's plans to despoil the Rappahannock County countryside with huge towers and 138,000-volt transmission lines.

RLEP's membership of dedicated volunteers has worked to protect the scenic and natural resources of the county by raising community awareness and campaigning for responsible stewardship of the land.

RLEP's main purpose is captured in the subtitle of our bylaws: "A Citizens' Organization Dedicated to Preserving the Natural Resources and Rural and Historic Character of Rappahannock County, Virginia."

The founders of RLEP were wise in the establishment of this purpose, not just because it represents an accurate statement of the organization's lofty goals, but also because it defines them in a way that enables and encourages all citizens with an interest in the future of Rappahannock County to embrace and support RLEP. It is hard to imagine a Rappahannock resident or landowner who would not subscribe to these high purposes. Everyone we talk to here in the county is quick to express his or her appreciation for its rural and historic character and the desire to see the natural beauty and resources of this land preserved indefinitely. These are some of the most basic sentiments that Rappahannockers all seem to have in common--along with a genuine concern for neighbors and a healthy dose of volunteer spirit.

RLEP promotes its purpose in the community through public education, coalition-building with like-minded organizations, and consulting with business interests and county officials on public policy, and by actively advocating good community planning for the county's future. These efforts to promote the essential environmental interests of all Rappahannock citizens and stakeholders are most effective if, through its membership, RLEP represents a large and diverse subset of the entire Rappahannock community.

The achievement of our goals depends in part upon growing our membership. The larger and more diverse our membership, the stronger is our voice in preserving the natural, rural, and historic character of this beautiful place.

So we at RLEP are going to be renewing our efforts to attract and retain new members. For starters, if you are a current or past member of RLEP, your membership expiration date will now be printed in your address block used to mail RLEP News and any other correspondence from RLEP. An expiration date code of JUL 2005 indicates, for example, that you are a current member with all the rights and privileges that membership entails. It also indicates that your membership expires on the last day of July 2005.

A contribution entitles you to membership for 12 months. We will send renewal notices to members as their membership expiration approaches. If, however, you want to renew early and save RLEP the expense of mailing a reminder, just mail us a check whenever you like, and we will automatically advance your membership a year ahead. We will send you an acknowledgement letter documenting your donation, but remember that for federal and state tax purposes, your charitable donation always applies to the tax year in which your donation is made.

We have already begun sending membership appeal letters to recent purchasers of real property in Rappahannock County. The response has been gratifying. We also plan to initiate an annual general-appeal campaign to all Rappahannock households, perhaps in the spring. If you receive one of these appeals but are already a current member of RLEP, please consider it an opportunity to renew early, if you wish to do so.

Since you're visiting our website, you are probably a believer in RLEP principles. If you are a current member, we thank you for your ongoing support, moral and financial. However, maybe you are someone who has often thought you should join RLEP but never took the time to do so.

Or perhaps your membership has lapsed and you neglected to renew your support. In either case, please take the time now to make an RLEP donation, so that we may count you among the Rappahannockers who support our efforts to keep Rappahannock County the way we love it, the way it has always been. The smallest contribution will earn our gratitude, bring you future issues of RLEP News, and help RLEP be a voice for a greater proportion of all Rappahannockers. Larger contributions will have a real impact on what we are able to do to preserve this county's extraordinary natural, rural, historic landscape.

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