<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><br class=""><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><span style="background-color: rgb(254, 254, 254);" class=""><br class=""></span><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><font face="Arial" class=""><br class=""></font></span></div><div class=""><span class=""><font face="Arial" class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">Dear ASAP Members,<br class=""><br class="">If you feel as strongly as your Board that the Arecibo Observatory deserves to be resurrected, please read the powerful <i class=""><b class="">ASAP Board Statement</b></i> below. It details exactly why it is so important to move forward, making the best use of the existing site and staff (see also the <i class=""><b class="">ASAP Facilities Statement</b></i> attached for more detail):<br class=""> <br class="">“The United States has the opportunity to create a new, cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary observatory in Puerto Rico, which will complement and surpass all other current and planned facilities. A new Arecibo radar and radio telescope will build on the millions of dollars of investment in instrumentation, techniques, facilities, and personnel that have been made at Arecibo over the past sixty years.” <br class=""><br class=""><i class=""><b class="">Since you value the future of the Observatory, please:<br class=""></b></i><br class="">· Post points from the paper on social media, particularly in response to the limited accounts that have appeared thus far. <br class=""><br class="">· Spread the paper directly to your colleagues, and ask them to pass it on. Some people seem to be giving up much too quickly on this issue. We can’t drop the ball now. <br class=""><br class="">· Get in touch with any press contacts you have, including and especially local and university outlets, and explain how the decision not to fund a new cutting edge telescope at Arecibo affects you, your students and your future research. </span><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">An ASAP media release</span><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""> will be emailed to you shortly. </span><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""><br class="">· Write your Congressional representatives and Senators. Every agency in government has been forced to reconsider bad decisions because enough people in Congress cared and held oversight hearings. Both the House and Senate affirmed AO in the CHIPS Act, which “encouraged” NSF to strengthen and expand the Observatory’s role, not cut it past the bone, and gut its scientific mission. Congress intended “education, outreach and diversity programs” but also emphasized “future research capabilities and technology at the site.” A sample letter is given below, and you can find your Representative and Senators </span><a href="https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member" style="font-size: 14px;" class="">here</a><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">. </span></font></span></div><div class=""><span class=""><font face="Arial" class=""><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></span></font></span></div><div class=""><span class=""><font face="Arial" class=""><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-family: Helvetica; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 18px;"><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><font face="Arial" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Best Regards and Many Thanks,</font></span></p><div class="" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><font face="Arial" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="">The ASAP Board</span></font></span></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 14px;"><font face="Arial" class=""><span class=""><br class=""></span></font></span></div><span style="font-size: 14px;" class=""><br class=""></span></font></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>