Culver declares June 20-26 as Amateur Radio Week in Iowa

We’re getting closer to Field Day 2010, and that means lots of governors and mayors are recognizing the the hobby and service of amateur radio by signing proclamations declaring the week of Field Day as Amateur Radio Week.

Iowa is no exception, as my local ham club received a copy of the Iowa proclamation last week. The proclamation will be on display at the W0AK Field Day site at Big Creek State Park, near Polk City.

The text of the proclamation reads as the following:

WHEREAS, the State recognizes the services amateur radio operators provide to our many emergency response organizations, including FEMA, DHS, and Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management; and

WHEREAS, these same individuals have further demonstrated their value in public assistance by providing free radio communications for local parades, bike-a-thons, walk-a-thons, fairs and other charitable public events; and

WHEREAS, the State of Iowa recognizes and appreciates the diligence of these “hams” who also serve as weather spotters in the Skywarn program of the National Weather Service; and

WHEREAS, amateur radio once again proved its undisputed relevance in the modern world in 2005 by providing emergency communications when other systems failed in the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the USA and in the tsunami catastrophe overseas; and

WHEREAS, these amateur radio services are provided wholly uncompensated; and

WHEREAS, the ARRL is the leading organization for amateur radio in the USA; and

WHEREAS, the ARRL Field Day exercise will take place on June 26-27 and is a 24-hour emergency encampment exercise and demonstration of the Radio Amateurs’ skills and readiness to provide self-supporting communications even in fields without further infrastructure:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Chester J. Culver, Governor of the State of Iowa, do hereby proclaim the week of June 20-26, 2010 as Amateur Radio Week in Iowa.