Present efforts are directed at communicating with the governor’s office and our elected state legislators. Additionally we are publicizing the proposed closure so that the public at large is aware of the situation and can participate in our efforts as they see fit.
If you would like to communicate with our elected officials please see the Government Contacts page for specific names and addresses.
When communicating with government officials please keep the following in mind:
1. Identify your involvement with Dudley Farm, i.e., a CSO member, visitor, teacher, etc. This is important information to the officials. It is important that your correspondence does not appear to be from an employee of the Park Service. Employees are severely restricted in what they can say and write.
2. Be clear that you are speaking as an individual, not as a representative of the CSO. The CSO is a support organization to Dudley Farm and the Park Service. As such it must be very careful about adopting any position contrary to that of the Park Service.
3. Be accurate in what you say. Inaccurate and overstated claims are viewed as being sent by a person lacking knowledge of the situation and are discounted in their entirety.
4. State why Dudley Farm is important to you. Form letters and petitions have some value but an individually composed letter from the heart carries far more weight.
5. Be polite. We all know the budgetary pressures that currently exist in Florida. Our elected officials are doing their best to deal with a bad situation. We want to be clear that we do not agree with this proposed closing but we also want to respect their obligation to prepare a balanced budget.
6. Be considerate of the other parks on the closure list. We can accomplish more working together than we can individually. We do not need to create enemies needlessly. | 
