Group Urges Passage of Ballot Question No. 3

ELDORA –– State environmental groups made a stop in Dennis Township Oct. 25 to ask voters to approve $200 million in funding for open space and other preservation programs on Election Day.
The New Jersey Keep It Green Campaign, a coalition of over 90 statewide environmental groups, is working to ensure passage of ballot question No. 3, which would help fund the Green Acres, Blue Acres, farmland preservation, historic preservation programs for one year.
The event was held at the Nature Conservancy’s 250-acre Eldora Nature Preserve, an appropriate setting since Green Acres funding helped preserve it.
Jay Laubengeyer, a Nature Conservancy director, said the preserve is a “legacy in environmental conservation that our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy.”
William Quinn, chairman of the county Open Space and Farmland Trust, said his group is committed to preserving the “small town and rural life style that remains an attractive feature of our county.”
“We fully support the ballot question No. 3, which will allow the county, municipalities and land trusts to continue their partnerships with the state in protecting the landscapes and habitat that define the character of our county,” he continued in a press release.
Township Administrator Jody Alessandrine, also an Ocean City Councilman and a member of the New Jersey Historic Trust, said approving the ballot question is a good idea no matter which of his three hats he wears.
“Voters should realize that funding these preservation programs is a wise investment in the state’s as well as the county’s futures,” Alessandrine told the Herald. He emphasized the return on the investment in tourism dollars and residents’ quality of life that would be a direct result of these programs.
When asked what he thought about those who say the state’s financial situation is bad enough without throwing more money into preservation, Alessandrine said that approach is “short-sighted.”
“Preserving parks, farms, recreation and historic places is important for the state’s future,” he said. “If all we leave our children is brown fields and McMansion developments, we are doing them a great disservice.”
He said Dennis Township Committee also supports the measure having passed a resolution Oct. 16 urging voters to support the ballot question.
“The community, economic, and ecological benefits of preservation programs are real. New Jersey’s $3.9 billion a year eco-tourism and outdoor recreation industry relies on the continued success of these programs,” Tom Wells, spokesman for the Green Campaign explained in the release.
“Nowhere in New Jersey is ecotourism more important than in Cape May County, one of the most important areas in all of North America for viewing migrating songbirds, shorebirds and birds of prey. Your YES vote on ballot question 3 is critical for the continued success of these land-saving programs.”
Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com