Green Jersey

Group asks for long-term open space funds

Image via the N.J. Department of Agriculture.

Reps of the Keep it Green coalition yesterday called on Gov. Corzine to permanently fund open space preservation, saying it was their No. 1 goal this fall.

They asked the governor to add a water use surcharge or some other tax to pay for open space acquisitions for good. (Gas tax, anyone?)

The group says investing in open space would grow the economy by generating jobs, stabilizing real estate markets and creating opportunities for recreation and tourism.

Dena Mottola Jaborska, executive director of Environment New Jersey, said in an e-mail blast yesterday that “No governor for two decades has done less to preserve open space than Gov. Corzine.”

The Garden State Preservation Trust Fund, the funding mechanism for the state’s open space, farmland and historic preservation projects, was out of money last year when voters approved a bond measure to add emergency funds. Those funds ($200 million) have all been allocated, so nothing is left for new purchases.

Corzine said he would address long-term open space funding this fall when he signed the budget in June. Since then, the economy has tanked.

The AP quoted Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Elaine Makatura as saying open space preservation “remains a top priority” for the administration, but says she did not elaborate.

More: Long-term open space funding sought in N.J. (Associated Press)