NARA Outrageous Fee Increase

The NARA (The National Archives and Records Administration) is proposing to raise its fees, more than double on some records. For example, the proposed fee for a Civil War full military pension file would jump from $37 to $125! That is more than triple!!! You have until April 27, 2007 to comment and oppose the proposals at their online site.

To leave your comments and state your opposition, follow these steps to get to the comment page:

1. Go to: http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main
2. Then, in the box for Agency, click on the arrow and select National Archives and Records Administration.
3. Then, click the submit button.
4. Now, you will see the 2 proposals. To comment, click on the yellow balloon icon on the right of the page, under the Comments column.
5. Now, a form will come up for you to fill in your information and comments.

For those of you who don't know, the NARA is a U.S. Federal government agency that collects, stores, and preserves important documents and materials. Their headquarters is in Washington D.C., but they also have regional facilities across the USA in such places as Chicago and San Francisco. The NARA is a great source of information for genealogists. They have records such as census, immigration, military service, military pension, and land records that they will copy and send to you for a fee.

Please oppose the astronomical fee increases that will price these precious records out of reach for many genealogists and family historians. Act now to preserve access to these records for future generations!

Save Our History - Vote Online Today!!

Time Warner and The History Channel are sponsoring a 'Save Our History' award. There are five semi-finalist projects, and you can go online and cast your vote for one of them before the April 27th deadline. Click here to visit the website and cast your vote. Make your voice heard!

All the projects listed are deserving of the award. However, I favor the James Cemetery restoration project since it has the most benefit for genealogists. Our old cemeteries are worth preserving. They hold so much history that it would be a crime to let them be ruined. Your descendents will thank you for preserving a piece of their heritage, so vote today!

Spring Onto Your Bike!

Spring is finally springing up all over! If you want to enjoy some outdoor time and visit some historical places at the same time, you will love this event. You can go on a scenic bike ride that takes you through the old coal mining communities of southeast Ohio.

The Appalachian people of Southeast Ohio will benefit from your assistance. Little Cities of Black Diamonds promotes tourism, one of the last attempts to try to keep Southeast Ohio coal country alive, both educationally and financially for residents.

The bike tour begins and ends at Eclipse Company Town near Athens, Ohio during the Little Cities of Black Diamonds Appalachian Spring Festival on Saturday, May 12, 2007.

Ride 1 (Leave 8AM)
45-mile loop ride will take bicyclists on the Hock-Hocking Bike Path to Nelsonville then into the hills to Carbon Hill, Greendale, New Straitsville, Murray City and Buchtel.

Ride 2 (Leave 9AM)
32-mile loop ride will follow the same route to Carbon Hill but return via Buchtel.

Ride 3 (Leave 10AM)
19-mile ride from Eclipse to Hocking College and return on the bike path.

Basic registration is $20 and includes trail map, Little Cities of the Forest poster and lunch at Appalachian Spring Fest. A $30 registration also includes a Little Cities of the Forest t-shirt. To register or for more info contact Bob Eichenberg at bobeichenberg@yahoo.com or the Little Cities Council Office toll free at 866-394-3011 or email lcbd@ohiohills.com.

For More Information Visit http://www.littlecitiesofblackdiamonds.org/