The concept of land preservation seems simple: buy the land and it’s preserved. The reality is, conserving a piece of property is the beginning of a lifetime of stewardship. Open spaces need management and maintenance, especially if future New Jerseyans are to be able to enjoy them.
By:Michele S. Byers
The concept of land preservation seems simple: buy the land and it’s preserved. The reality is, conserving a piece of property is the beginning of a lifetime of stewardship. Open spaces need management and maintenance, especially if future New Jerseyans are to be able to enjoy them.
In her recent "State of the State" address, Gov. Whitman acknowledged the importance of caring for our open space lands by proposing a "Stewardship Investment Fund" to provide continued funding for maintenance and management of our state parks and historic sites. Each year, $25 million raised from real estate transfer fees would be dedicated to this new fund, to be spent on building or upgrading facilities in our state parks, and fish and wildlife management areas.
It is critically important to recognize that saving 1 million acres of New Jersey farmland and open space is the beginning of a long-term relationship, not the end. In New Jersey, for example, the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently estimated the total long-term capital need for all state public lands and facilities to be approximately $430 million. That’s the amount we should spend right now to repair and upgrade facilities in our parks and historic sites, to enhance public access. With 1 million more acres to care for, this need will only increase.
Public open space and farmland protection programs have traditionally been funded through bonds. Unfortunately, bond funding usually runs out in 10, 20 or 30 years, leaving no funds to maintain the newly acquired lands. In addition, funding for parks was often the first victim of budget cuts.
As a result, the monument at High Point State Park in Sussex County was closed to the public for years due to damage caused by insufficient repair work. And a few years ago, New Jersey forever lost a unique piece of history when the state-owned Kuser mansion was demolished because it had deteriorated so far from neglect.
Even if you don’t consider yourself a history buff or a "tree hugger," this neglect has an impact on your pocketbook. For example, millions of dollars of taxpayer and private funds have been spent (with millions more to go) on restoring the spectacular buildings of Ellis Island. This costly process would not be necessary if these treasured buildings had simply been maintained.
These historic and natural resources play an important role in New Jersey’s overall economy too. The state park system has approximately 15 million visitors each year. Wildlife-related recreation (hunting, fishing, etc.) brought in more than $1.9 billion in 1996. Almost 800,000 people visit Island Beach State Park each year, creating 1,500 jobs and making a $14 million economic impact.
In light of the potential impact of the backlog of capital repairs and improvements, the Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT) and the Governor’s Council on New Jersey Outdoors both recommended a stable source of funding for state parks, recreational and wildlife management lands.
Ultimately, we are all the stewards of our state’s natural and historic resources. Only time will tell us how well we do, caring for New Jersey’s 115 wildlife management areas, 57 historic sites, 42 natural areas, 39 parks, 11 forests, five marinas, three recreational areas and one golf course. A stable funding source is most certainly a step in the right direction.
For more information on the State Lands Stewardship Investment Fund initiative, visit www.state.nj.us/.
Please visit NJCF’s Web site at www.njconservation.org, or contact me at 1-888-LAND-SAVE or by e-mail to [email protected] if you have any questions or comments about land conservation in New Jersey.
Michele S. Byers is executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation based in Far Hills.
