Are clean water and open spaces important to you? How about protecting our farmland and natural resources?
If so, join me in taking action on Nov. 3 to protect our water and environment for future generations.
A yes vote on public question No. 1 on Election Day will ensure that open space, farmland, and historic preservation continues in our state. New Jersey’s only state ballot question this year asks voters to renew the Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT). Through the GSPT, New Jersey has invested more than $2 billion to preserve parks and recreational and natural areas, our water sources, farmland and historic sites.
The GSPT is successful because it matches funds from county and local open space funds. Today, all GSPT funds have been allocated. Without support from New Jersey voters to renew it, land preservation in the New Jersey will virtually stop.
Yes, financial times are tough, but that is the reason we need to make smart investments in our future now. Land preservation in New Jersey is a wise investment. It is good for our health and our wallets.
Preservation protects our clean drinking water sources from pollution and the higher cost of treatment needed if contaminated. It supports our agricultural and tourism industries. And in the most populated state in the nation, our open spaces also provide respite, recreation, and beauty through natural hiking and wildlife areas, baseball fields, and the views of wide-open farms.
On this Election Day, I urge you to vote yes on the state ballot question, titled “Green Acres, Water Supply and Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Act of 2009.” A yes vote would allow the state to bond for up to $400 million, which would cost approximately $10 annually per household. A recent analysis found that this initiative would protect approximately 73,500 acres of land and yield $10 in economic value for every $1 invested.
A yes vote to renew open space funding will support protection and preservation of this area’s farming tradition.
For more than 50 years, New Jersey voters have supported land preservation. Our prior investments have made significant strides in protecting our clean drinking water, supporting agriculture and tourism — two of our largest industries —and in providing passive, active, and historical recreation opportunities. There is, however, much more to do to protect and preserve those special places in your community.
Jennifer Coffey
Policy Director Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association
Pennington