Parks, Open Spaces, Wild Places News

Trenton, NJ – The Keep It Green campaign announced today it is now running tens of thousands of dollars worth of radio ads calling on New Jersey voters to support continued preservation funding to keep our drinking water clean, protect our threatened open space, and to preserve precious farmland and historic treasures by voting ‘Yes’ on Public Question #3, the “Green Acres, Farmland, Blue Acres, and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2007.”   

“New Jersey voters are busy people,” said Doug O’Malley, field director for Environment New Jersey. “We’re airing these radio ads because we want to break through to voters and let them know that Ballot Question 3 is a no-brainer for open space.”

If approved by voters in November, the bond act will allow the State Treasurer to issue general obligation bonds totaling $200 million with $109 million directed to the Green Acres program, $73 million for farmland preservation, $12 million for the Blue Acres program to purchase flood prone properties, and $6 million for historic preservation purposes.  Of the $109 million in funds allocated to the Green Acres program, $45 million will be used for acquisition and park development by the state, $55 million for grants and loans to local governments and $9 million for matching grants to nonprofit organizations.

To hear the ad, visit http://www.NJKeepItGreen.org/. The link is at the bottom of the home page.  The ads will be airing every morning and evening on NJ 101.5 FM, 97.3 FM, and their subsidiary stations at 8:31 AM and 6:01 PM.  The ads will also be running on WCBS 880 at between 7 and 8 a.m. and during evening drive time between 5 and 7 p.m.  Additionally, you can hear the ads on 1010 WINS during the morning and evening drive times in the wider New York metropolitan area. The collective ads – which number over 65 – will reach over 850,000 listeners per each individual airing, and collectively will hit all 21 counties.      

Even with current preservation efforts, New Jersey loses more than 40 acres of open space to development everyday.  At this rate, our state is projected to reach full development within 30 years.  If we do not act immediately to preserve open spaces for local and state parks, our children will not have safe, attractive places to live and play; our water supplies will become increasingly polluted; and our state’s natural and cultural heritage will be lost forever.  Preserving land today protects it from development, ensuring that our children can enjoy the same quality of life that we enjoy today.

No new taxes will be imposed as a result of this bond act.  The act allows the State Treasurer to issue bonds, which must be paid back within the next 30 years from existing revenue sources.  Bonding, a common method for funding land acquisition and capital improvements, is the most logical and successful way to fund preservation because it takes advantage of current market values by purchasing land now instead of waiting until it is too expensive or already lost to development. New Jersey voters have approved 11 bond measures since 1961 dedicating over $4 billion for preservation efforts. 

The New Jersey Keep It Green Campaign is a coalition of over 90 organizations from across the state working to ensure the passage of the Green Acres, Farmland, Blue Acres and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2007 this November. For more information on how you can help, please visit www.NJKeepItGreen.org or contact Mark Zakutansky at 609-392-5830 or mark.zakutansky@njaudubon.org.