Voters' commitment to open space remains firm

RELEASE: Nov. 9, 2007 – Volume XXXIX, No. 45

In a significant victory for land preservation last week, New Jersey voters endorsed conservation funding once again with the passage of Ballot Question #3, granting approval for a $200 million bond issue to fund open space, farmland and historic preservation for the next fiscal year by a nearly 100,000-vote margin. This was a resounding success in a low-turnout election year that saw two other ballot questions about state funding go down in defeat. New Jersey voters should be congratulated on making the right choice – approving Ballot Question #3 by a 54 to 46 percent margin.

The preservation funding authorized by voters in 1998, when the Garden State Preservation Trust was created, has almost run its course. Without the additional “green” provided by Question #3, state efforts to save open space would have stopped cold; that, in turn, would have severely hampered county, local and private preservation efforts, leaving the last of our natural treasures vulnerable to development.

Clearly, a majority of New Jersey voters recognize that land preservation is in the best interest of the state for a variety of reasons, and that it is wise fiscal policy. Notably, 70,000 to 90,000 people who voted against the other two funding questions on the ballot “switched sides” to vote in favor of spending public money for conservation. And a report by the New York Times on Election Day affirmed this choice, quoting analysts from Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s, who pronounced the additional debt insignificant in light of New Jersey’s financial resources and overall fiscal situation.

Studies continue to show that conserving open space and farmland is far better for New Jersey’s long- term economic health than short-sighted ratable chasing. And in the case of Ballot Question #3, some of the funding will lead to direct savings – buying out willing sellers of flood-prone properties so the state no longer has to pay for their repeated repairs and cleanups.

Approval of Ballot Question #3 – the 13th consecutive endorsement by voters of bond issues to fund conservation - demonstrates that New Jerseyans remain firmly committed to keeping the “garden” in the Garden State! It should send a message to Trenton that finding a permanent source of funds for conservation programs is a top priority. With funding now approved for just one year, there’s not much time to waste. We need the Legislature and the Governor to adopt a long-term funding source in this year’s lame duck session.

Please let your legislators know how important it is to this state we’re in, the most densely-populated in the nation, to find a long-term source of open space funding. I hope you’ll contact me at info@njconservation.org, or visit NJCF’s website at www.njconservation.org, for more information about conserving New Jersey’s precious land and natural resources.

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