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Michele S. Byers, executive director of New Jersey Conservation Foundation, applauded the U.S. Senate for its bipartisan vote on Feb. 12 to permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund as part of a sweeping public lands measure.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that the Land and Water Conservation Fund is America’s most important conservation program,” said Byers.  “The Fund has helped preserve iconic landscapes in every state, from large national parks and wildlife refuges to small community parks. In New Jersey, it has helped establish, expand and upgrade public parks in all 21 counties, improving the health and well-being of New Jerseyans. Thank you to New Jersey’s senators for the permanent renewal of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. I hope our state’s representatives in the House will also move quickly to support the Fund’s permanent reauthorization.”

New Jersey parks established or improved through the Land and Water Conservation Fund include Island Beach State Park, Paterson’s Great Falls National Historic Park, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Wharton State Forest in the Pine Barrens, Jesse Allen Park in Newark, Camden Waterfront Park, the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and many others.

About New Jersey Conservation Foundation

New Jersey Conservation Foundation is a private nonprofit that preserves land and natural resources throughout New Jersey for the benefit of all. Since 1960, New Jersey Conservation has protected 125,000 acres of open space – from the Highlands to the Pine Barrens to the Delaware Bayshore, from farms to forests to urban and suburban parks. For more information about the Foundation’s programs and preserves, go to www.njconservation.org or call 1-888-LAND-SAVE (1-888-526-3728).