• Home
  • How We Work
  • Where We Work
  • News Room
  • About Us
  • My Nature Page

The Nature Conservancy in Africa - Conservation in Africa

The Nature Conservancy in Asia Pacific - Conservation in Asia-Pacific

The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean - Conservation in the Caribbean

The Nature Conservancy in Central America - Conservation in Central America

The Nature Conservancy in North America - Conservation in North America

The Nature Conservancy in the United States - Conservation in the United States

The Nature Conservancy in South America - Conservation in South America

SUCCESS AT THE BALLOT BOX!

Funding provides temporary relief; new campaign already under way.

 

On November 6th, New Jersey voters approved Ballot Question # 3, the Green Acres, Farmland, Blue Acres and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2007, which authorizes the State to issue up to $200 million in bonds to fund open space, farmland and historic preservation.  The majority of the funding will go to the Green Acres Program, which acquires parks and natural areas for the State and provides grants to local governments and nonprofit conservation organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, to acquire and improve parks and natural areas. 

 

The Green Acres Program had run out of funding, putting the state’s nationally recognized open space preservation efforts in jeopardy.  In a very low turnout election, voters approved the ballot question 54% to 46%, the lowest approval percentage on any of the 11 Green Acres ballot questions dating back to 1961.  However, Ballot Question # 3 faired much better than the two other funding measures on the November ballot, which both failed. 

 

Success on Ballot Question # 3 was aided by the efforts of NJ Keep it Green, a coalition of over 90 nonprofit organizations of which The Nature Conservancy is a leading member.  To educate voters about this ballot question, NJ Keep it Green organized 40 press events around the state, ran paid radio ads and public service announcements, met with newspaper editorial boards, and distributed campaign flyers, yard signs and bumper stickers. These efforts were necessary not only to bring public attention to this critical issue, but also to refute misinformation that was broadcast by a well-funded, anti-tax organization.

 

The approved funding will keep these programs afloat for just one more year. The Nature Conservancy, working within NJ Keep it Green, has already begun a new campaign to secure a long-term state funding source for these programs which are so important to our quality of life here in New Jersey.  Since the voters demonstrated their concern about additional state spending by rejecting the other two funding measures on the recent ballot, the process of securing a long-term funding source that both the legislature and the voters will approve in the face of well-financed opposition, poses a major challenge to our campaign.

 

Visit NJKeepItGreen.org to get the latest on the status of our efforts or call Tom Wells, the New Jersey Chapter’s Director of Government Relations at 908-955-0349.