Open space program running out of money

Renewal of this pot of money called the Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT) is supported by Gov. Jon Corzine and key state legislators. They are on record expressing their desire to renew New Jersey's open space funding. A wide majority of state legislators also expressed support for placing a question before the voters this fall.

But now the immediate future of the Garden State Preservation Trust and statewide preservation efforts are up in the air since the legislation needed to refund the pot did not reach the floor of the Assembly and Senate before the Legislature's summer break.

The Garden State Preservation Trust is one of the most successful programs of its kind - preserving open spaces for clean water, wildlife habitat, and recreation, protecting and restoring New Jersey historical treasures, maintaining and enhancing the state's agricultural heritage, and expanding urban parks. And this provides a net gain for New Jersey's economy. A recent New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection report estimated New Jersey's natural environment provides $20 billion in annual benefits to the people of our state, an asset worth an estimated $680 billion.

But the Garden State Preservation Trust's greatest accomplishment may be as a catalyst. The matching ability and buying power of state GSPT dollars have prompted hundreds of New Jersey communities to pass local open space funds. By not asking the voters to renew of the Garden State Preservation Trust this year, New Jerseyans miss the chance to provide real, lasting property tax relief for those communities who depend on GSPT open space funding to help them curb the sprawling development that drives up local taxes.

Time after time, taxpayers have voted to voluntarily fund land conservation because they inherently understand that preserved open space makes New Jersey a better place to live. They have approved open space funding at the state level, county level, and hundreds of times at the local level.

Voter support is part of the strength of the land preservation efforts here in New Jersey; it's something New Jerseyans themselves have driven from the beginning, and repeatedly endorsed.

But we still have a chance. The Legislature can come back from their vacation for a "summer session" and put the issue before the voters. Let New Jerseyans decide if we want to raise the funds and spend the money to preserve our state's natural heritage.

Please contact your state legislators and ask them to post the renewal of the Garden State Preservation Trust for a vote. To learn more, please visit the Keep It Green Web site at www.outdoorrecreationalliance.org.

I hope you'll contact me at info@njconservation.org, or visit NJCF's Web site at www.njconservation.org for more information about conserving New Jersey's precious land and natural resources.

Michele Byers

Executive director

New Jersey

Conservation Foundation

Far Hills