The 2014 Legislative Forum is scheduled for March 25–26. While that may seem like a far-off date, in reality it is right around the corner, and we hope you will give serious consideration to attending. We need your help to educate lawmakers on the importance of parks and recreation. Whether you would make a connection with a newer member of Congress or update a veteran, it’s important to tell your representative or senator what issues are critical to your agency. And don’t be intimidated — you don’t have to be an experienced lobbyist to make a difference.

Thanks to input from NRPA members, we have made several changes to the 2014 Legislative Forum that will benefit attendees while ensuring a very productive event. First, we have condensed the schedule so that attendees can come to D.C. without spending as many days out of the office. While we will hold a webinar prior to Legislative Forum to educate attendees about our legislative platform, we will also hold a live platform education session on Tuesday, March 25, that will give you insight into our issues and provide you with valuable talking points to take to Capitol Hill. That evening, attendees will enjoy a great networking reception.

Spring in D.C. means the cherry blossom trees and tourist season are in full bloom, driving up the price of hotel rooms downtown. To alleviate some of the costs for our attendees, we have moved the Legislative Forum base a few short miles across the Potomac River to the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The hotel is surrounded by plenty of great restaurants offering a variety of food, and it is just steps away from the Metro. Speaking of the Metro, while we will have shuttle buses to take attendees to the Hill on Wednesday morning, we will also provide all attendees with Metro passes to help alleviate transportation costs from the Hill to the hotel. 

As you can see, NRPA members spoke and we listened. We believe these are very beneficial changes, and we are incredibly excited about next year’s event. We sincerely hope that you will join us, because we really do need you. While Congress may be in a state of dysfunction, great results come out of Legislative Forum each year because of people like you. As a direct result of last year’s event, we now have a bill in Congress that, once passed, will provide more money to local park and recreation agencies through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Your voice really does matter, and each year great things happen for parks and recreation because of the Legislative Forum attendees. Please join us for the 2014 Legislative Forum and help shape the future of parks and recreation.

Stacey Pine is NRPA’s former Vice President of Government Affairs.