There is some great but overlooked news from the recent election.  Most of the land conservation measures on ballots across the country passed!  Of the 87 municipal, county, and state conservation measures on the ballot in many locations, voters approved 62 of them, or 71%!  Added together, these measures ensure that $7.3 billion in new public funds will be spent to protect land for parks and open space.  The election set a conservation funding record, according to the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national land conservation organization.

     A few highlights: 

• In New Jersey, voters approved 14 of 22 county and municipal measures that will mean an additional $191 million in conservation funding.  In Hunterdon County, for example, voters extended the Hunterdon County Open Space Trust Fund, which will generate $7.6 million annually for open space, farmland, historic preservation efforts, and stewardship of county and municipal parklands.
• In Minnesota, voters approved the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment, the largest land conservation measure in history, according to TPL.  With more than $5 billion approved for land and water conservation, the measure will increase the state’s investment in clean water, natural areas, cultural legacy, parks, and trails by $290 million a year for the next 25 years. 
• In Ohio, voters approved a $400 million bond referendum to renew the Clean Ohio Fund.  And Rhode Island voters said yes to $2.5 million for farmland and natural area preservation.

     It is heartening to me to see that, despite the current economic climate, an overwhelming majority of voters want to protect our precious lands and waters.–April Moore 

    

This entry was posted on Friday, November 21st, 2008 at 6:53 am and is filed under Good news for Mother Earth!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.