The New Jersey - Keep It Green (KIG) Campaign represents roughly 100 statewide, local and regional organizations ranging from sportsmen’s groups and environmental organizations to affordable housing and urban park advocates working to secure a long-term stable source of funding for the acquisition of open space, farmland and historic sites as well as the capital improvement, operation, maintenance, and stewardship of state and local natural areas, parks and historic sites in New Jersey. Learn more ›

 Citizens Continue to

Rally to

Save Their Parks!

We need to resolve our budget issues in other ways – not by closing our parks or limiting our services! Recent reports and released statements note that many of the Parks slated for closure will now be opened for the summer but the amount and level of services at each park have yet to be determined.

Your actions, rallying, letters and calls are

effecting this change!

Continue to keep up the good work reaching out to your local legislators and the Governor

to tell them that YOUR public land must remain open, accessible and well-maintained!  

For more information on how you can help, click here.

Rally at Round Valley State Park, April 5, 2008

Photo by Matt Apgar

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New Jersey Parks Now Closed for Business

Budget Cuts Force Closure of Popular Parks, Swimming and Camping Areas

Trenton – The State of New Jersey announced today that budget cuts will result in the closure of popular parks and recreational areas throughout the state just in time for the busy summer season. These cuts will severely reduce recreational opportunities for our residents, resulting in a decline in overall quality of life in New Jersey as well as harm to our economy. These closures come just after voters approved ballot question #3 last November, sending a clear message to our leaders that investing in open space, parks, farmland and historic sites is a priority even during fiscally challenging times.  

The Keep It Green Campaign, a coalition of over 100 organizations from throughout the state, urge state leaders to listen to New Jersey residents and restore funding for the NJ Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Parks & Forestry and Fish & Wildlife in the budget. The devastating impact of these cuts and decades of similar cuts also highlight the need for stable funding to ensure that protected lands are well-maintained and accessible and to continue acquiring threatened lands through the renewal of the Garden State Preservation Trust this year. Click here to read the release and stay tuned for more information on how you can help.

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KIG Campaign Releases Statement on Governor's Budget on March 4, 2008:

Budget Cuts Will Hit New Jersey’s Natural Areas Hard

Highlight need for stable source of funding for open spaces, farmland and historic sites

The Governor’s proposed cuts to the Divisions of Parks & Forestry and Fish & Wildlife highlight the critical need to create stable funding for the operation and stewardship of our parks, wildlife management areas, open spaces and historic areas.  Decades of under funding of these areas has resulted in a decline in maintenance and services, including the closure of park facilities, fewer conservation officers, a backlog of repairs, the uncontrolled spread of invasive species and lost educational, recreational and economic opportunities. The Governor’s proposed cuts will further reduce the state’s ability to care for these areas, resulting in a loss of the many benefits they provide New Jersey’s residents and economy.

With the passage of ballot question #3 in November, voters sent a clear message to our leaders that New Jersey should continue to invest in our parks, open spaces, farmland and historic sites despite the state’s fiscal challenges. In light of voter support last fall and the proposed cuts, the Keep It Green Campaign, a coalition of nearly 100 organizations, urges the Governor and Legislature to create a stable source of funding for the operation, maintenance and stewardship of preserved lands, as well as the acquisition and capital improvement of these areas, through the renewal of the Garden State Preservation Trust this session. The Campaign also urges our leaders to increase appropriations for the two Divisions in this year’s budget in order to keep our parks and natural areas open to the public in the coming year. Click here to read the full statement.