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Ballot Measure Passes with 71 Percent Support on Election Day

Providence, RI—November 5, 2004—This $70 million bond will help local municipalities and land trusts protect precious open space at a time when development pressures are growing across the state. It also provides funding to protect land for clean drinking water; farmland preservation; restoration and protection of Narragansett Bay and tributaries; and improvements to parks and recreational facilities.

"The environment won big on Election Day in Rhode Island,” said Janet Coit, director of The Nature Conservancy’s Rhode Island Chapter. “We see this as not just a funding measure, but a referendum on the issues of open space and clean water here in Rhode Island.”

"This funding will support land protection efforts now—while there is still time to preserve the green, open spaces that enhance our quality of life,” Coit added. “Future generations will be grateful to the voters, groups and individuals who made this possible.”

Groups who supported the bond were members of the Environmental Council of Rhode Island, including:

• Appalachian Mountain Club – Narragansett Chapter
• Aquidneck Land Trust
• Audubon Society of Rhode Island
• Fort Adams Trust 
• Grow Smart Rhode Island
• The Nature Conservancy
• Rhode Island Land Trust Council and Rhode Island’s land trusts
• Rhode Island League of Cities & Towns
• Rhode Island Recreation and Parks Association
• Rhode Island Rivers Council and Rhode Island’s watershed organizations
• Roger Williams Park Zoo
• Save the Bay
• Southern New England Forest Consortium
• Trust for Public Land
• URI Coastal Resources Center

The $70 million in bond funding breaks down as follows:

• A $25 million investment for open space protection will leverage donations and federal grants to provide over $65 million to protect our communities’ most productive farms and most valued open spaces, natural areas, shorelines, drinking water supplies and scenic areas.  $10 million of this will be available as grants to local communities and land trusts.
   
• $18 million in financing for state and local recreation development will leverage matching funds resulting in $29 million for parkland, playgrounds, ball fields, trails, and Greenway links.
   
• A $10.5 million investment in Wastewater Improvement Loans will finance a revolving fund to leverage nearly $30 million for improvements to wastewater treatment plants, reducing pollution of Narragansett Bay and state waterways.  This fund will continue to finance wastewater treatment facility improvements throughout the state in future years.
   
• An $8.5 million investment in Clean Water Grants will leverage $17 million and help to restore the state's polluted water bodies.  It will help communities control storm water pollution; help farmers, marina operators, and other businesses reduce pollution that runs into Narragansett Bay and its tributaries after rainfalls; and help restore Rhode Island watersheds.
   
• An $8 million investment will allow the state to acquire land that permanently protects groundwater and public drinking water supplies.