  We describe a new, distance-independent method for calculating the magnetic
activity strength in low mass dwarfs, L_{H\alpha}/L_{bol}. Using a
well-observed sample of nearby stars and cool standards spanning spectral type
M0.5 to L0, we compute ``\chi'', the ratio between the continuum flux near
H-alpha and the bolometric flux, f_{\lambda6560}/f_{bol}. This ratio may be
multiplied by the measured equivalent width of the H-alpha emission line to
yield L_{H\alpha}/L_{bol}. We provide \chi values for all objects in our
sample, as well as fits to \chi as a function of color and average values by
spectral type. This method was used by West et al.(2004) to examine trends in
magnetic activity strength in low mass stars.

Astrophysics