PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
September 19, 2007
Contacts:
John Malay, Keep It Green, 908-419-4264
Joanna Wolaver, NJAS, 609-712-3622
Jeff Tittel, Sierra Club, 609-558-9100
Coalition Kicks Off Campaign
to Build Overwhelming
Voter Support for November Public Question #3
TRENTON – The Keep It Green Campaign announced
today that their coalition of over 90 environmental organizations,
land trusts, sportsmen’s groups, faith-based groups, watershed
associations, as well as historic preservation, affordable housing
and urban park advocates from throughout the State of New Jersey
will be mounting a full-scale voter education campaign to ensure
the successful passage of Public Question #3, the Green Acres,
Farmland, Blue Acres, and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2007.
Approval of this measure will provide $200 million in stop gap
funding for these highly successful and widely popular programs
while Legislators and the Governor identify and secure a long-term
funding source for the renewal of the Garden State Preservation
Trust, which funds NJ’s preservation programs.
“New Jersey residents deserve clean water, natural areas,
preserved farmland and historic sites, and new, safe urban parks
for our children. This measure will protect our quality of life
for future generations and ensure that our children and grandchildren
can continue to enjoy New Jersey’s land, water and natural
beauty,” explained Thomas J. Gilmore, President of New Jersey
Audubon Society.
Concerns about overdevelopment, the continued loss of farmland
and historic sites, a lack of community parks in urban neighborhoods,
and increased flooding along the Delaware, Passaic, and Raritan
rivers prompted the Legislature to pass legislation that places
this bond act in front of voters on November 6th.
“New Jersey remains in a race for open space. Every year
we are losing more than 16,000 acres of farmland, forest, and
wetlands to development, that is almost 2 acres lost every hour.
Approving Ballot Question #3 to continue funding for Green Acres
and farmland preservation for another year is our only hope to
win this race,” remarked David Epstein, President of Morris
Land Conservancy.
Passage of Question #3 will provide funds to continue the existing
Green Acres, Farmland Preservation and NJ Historic Trust programs.
These valuable state programs preserve open space, working farms
and historic sites in communities across the state, protect our
drinking water and provide parks and recreational opportunities
for New Jersey residents.
“New Jersey is at the crossroads of a pivotal decision
in the future of the state. On Election Day, we must vote yes
on Ballot Question #3 for the stop gap funding to maintain the
Garden State Preservation Trust programs. These programs have
demonstrated benefits to mitigate air and water pollution, and
enhance the health and quality of life for urban residents, who
have overwhelmingly supported open space measures in the past,”
remarked Kevin Moore of Weequahic Park Association.
-Continued-
“New Jersey has made great strides in preserving over 160,000
acres of working farmland,” said Rich Nieuwenhuis, President
of New Jersey Farm Bureau. “Working farmland is tax paying
open space that will provide opportunities for future generations
to enjoy fresh local produce and farm products as well as preserve
the agricultural heritage of the Garden State.”
The bond act will also provide funds for the Blue Acres program
to purchase flood-prone lands from willing sellers for open space
preservation purposes. Eligible lands are either flood-prone or
already flooded or storm damaged and must be located in the Delaware,
Passaic and Raritan river basin floodways.
“This bond act will provide much needed monies for the
Blue Acres program to help voluntarily buy flood prone properties
in our cities and towns. This money will also help municipalities
match their open space dollars, saving both open space and taxpayer
money,” explained David M. DelVecchio, President of the
New Jersey League of Municipalities and Mayor of Lambertville
City.
The campaign encourages businesses and organizations to endorse
question #3 and display posters and distribute fliers letting
voters know the value and need for additional preservation funds.
Volunteers and citizens are being asked to reach out to their
friends, family, and neighbors, distribute “Vote Yes on
Question #3” fliers, display yard signs and bumper stickers,
and get out to vote on November 6th.
“Through grassroots support and by expanding our campaign
partners and endorsing businesses, the Keep It Green Campaign
will reach every New Jersey voter and provide them with a clear
rationale for voting yes to protect our threatened natural and
cultural resources before they are lost forever,” remarked
Jeff Tittel, Director of Sierra Club, NJ Chapter. “A Yes
Vote is a vote for our families and an investment in our future.”
Public Question #3 is endorsed by Johnson & Johnson, Blue
Ridge Mountain Sports, the NJ Farm Bureau and other businesses
and organizations. In addition, the New Jersey Conference of Mayors
as well as a growing number of municipalities from Toms River
to West Amwell have passed a resolution supporting Question #3
and encouraging their residents to vote yes on this question.
“Without the support of public and private partnerships,
including the magnificent support of the NJ Historic Trust, the
Feigenspan estate in Newark (home to Community Agencies Corporation
of NJ) and countless other sites across the state may well have
been lost," said Thomas Mulligan, Director of Development
for CACNJ. "For this reason, we strongly support the November
6th ballot initiative and urge the public to come out and vote
to preserve the rich history of Newark and New Jersey.”
Approval of Public Question #3 is vital to ensure that land and
historic preservation efforts throughout the state can continue
uninterrupted. This funding comes at a critical time, when the
financing authority for these programs, the Garden State Preservation
Trust (GSPT), is nearly out of funds.
Initially approved by voters in 1998, the GSPT has successfully
preserved over 327,000 acres of parks and open space, numerous
historic sites, and over 160,000 acres of farmland. Public Question
#3 provides much-need funds to temporarily keep our state’s
preservation programs afloat until the Governor and State Legislature
renew the GSPT.
Voters must approve Public Question #3 on November 6th to send
a clear message to our elected officials that land and historic
preservation are a top priority for New Jersey residents. A yes
vote in November will protect the water we drink, the air we breathe,
and the open spaces, farmland, and historic sites we cherish.
For more information on the campaign, visit www.NJKeepItGreen.org.
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