What's New
In November 2007, New Jersey voters defeated two ballot measures for
the first time since 1990. But despite opposition for the other
measures, voters supported a $200 million bond to protect open space
and farms across the state. The measure will provide a desperately
needed shot-in-the-arm for dwindling open space funds.
Environment
New Jersey worked closely with the Keep It Green campaign, a 90-group
open space and park preservation coalition, to spread the Vote Yes
message, by helping to organize press events, mobilize our membership
and running get-out-the-vote efforts.
We will continue to
work closely with the Keep It Green campaign, as we work to convince
the Legislature and the governor to fulfill their commitment to fully
fund open space preservation.
How You Can Help
Even with the victory on Ballot Question 3, the long-term funding for
the Garden State Preservation Trust is murky. Please call Gov. Corzine
at 609-292-6000 and urge him to support long-term funding for open
space.
Brief Summary
In the race for open space, developers have the upper hand right now.
According to Rutgers
University, within just 25 years,
all of the state's remaining green spaces we don't preserve will be lost to
development. The report found that 106,000 acres were lost statewide from 1995 to 2002 and that areas along the Jersey
Shore, from Monmouth to Atlantic
County, grew the fastest.
Last fall, New Jersey voters defeated two ballot measures for
the first time since 1990. But despite opposition for the other
measures, voters supported a $200 million bond to protect open space
and farms across the state. The measure will provide a desperately
needed shot-in-the-arm for dwindling open space funds.
Environment New Jersey worked closely with the Keep It Green campaign, a 90-group open space and park preservation coalition, to
spread the Vote Yes message, by helping to organize press events,
mobilize our membership and running get-out-the-vote efforts.
We will continue to work closely with the Keep It Green
campaign, as we work to convince the Legislature and the governor to
fulfill their commitment to fully fund open space preservation.
Whatever
that special place is to you, it’s going to be
extra challenging to protect it if the Garden State Preservation Trust
is not fully renewed. Already, funding for local preservation efforts
is being impacted, and even with this fall's ballot measure, the trust
fund will face this same brink of bankruptcy at the end of 2008.
