State leaders gathered at Monksville Reservoir today to express their support for voting Yes on Public Question #1 on the November 3rd ballot. The Monksville Reservoir, 505 acres in area, is part of New Jersey’s vital clean water supply, and is connected to the larger Wanaque Reservoir. Land preserved in the vicinity by the State of New Jersey and local partners has been crucial to keeping our water clean at its source, but the Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT) is now essentially out of money for preserving land. By voting Yes on the ballot question, citizens can choose to continue successful programs that the GSPT supports, such as Green Acres.
"Today, as Highlands municipalities identify lands vitally important for the protection of our State’s clean and plentiful drinking water supplies, preservation dollars through the GSPT must continue to be available to assist acquisition efforts at the local, county and regional level," explained Julia Somers, Executive Director of the New Jersey Highlands Coalition. "Our quality of life, economic well-being and the future of our drinking water supplies depend on it!"
Sustaining the Garden State Preservation Trust will also help New Jersey keep its commitment to Highlands landowners. Senator Bob Smith, Chairman of the Senate Environment Committee said, "This bond issue is critically important to the Highlands region. It keeps the promise to property owners in the Highlands, that if they wish to sell their development rights to the State of New Jersey, there will be money available to do so."
Over 5 million NJ residents get some or all of their water from the Highlands Region. Nearly every town in Bergen County, and many towns in Morris, Essex and Hudson Counties, as well as some in Passaic County, receive water from the Monksville and Wanaque Reservoirs -- over 2.5 million people.
"Protecting open space in the Highlands is critical for the future of New Jersey," said Jeff Tittel, Director of NJ Sierra Club. "Water from the Highlands drives NJ’s economic engine producing every thing from M&M’s to Viagra, Budweiser to Goya Beans. We must pass Question #1 to ensure there are funds to buy these treasured lands." "It is not just our water supplies," Tittel continued, "but also recreational opportunities, flood prevention, habitat for threatened & endangered species, equity, and to keep agriculture viable."
More people visit the Highlands than Yosemite National Park in California, and they’re right in our home state, he added. Indeed, thousands of fisherman and other outdoor enthusiasts enjoy the Reservoir as well, making it representative of New Jersey’s thriving outdoor recreation industry that generates billions of dollars in sales every year. Preservation in New Jersey has a long tradition, given the forward-thinking of our densely populated state.
"In reaction to the accelerating loss of open space and farmland, the leaders and voters of NJ wisely passed the first Green Acres bond issue in 1961," said Maureen B. Ogden, former Assemblywoman and committee chairperson. "Another 11 bond issues have been enacted in the past 5 decades, but now the State’s coffers are empty. On Election Day I urge every NJ voter to support the $400 million bond issue on the ballot. The passage of the bond issue will insure that we, like past generations, are committed to preserve New Jersey’s treasures, natural and historic."
The cost of the bond equates to only $10 annually per household, or less than $1 per month. Tahesha Way, Highlands Council member and Passaic County Freeholder, underscored the ultimate importance of voting Yes to preserve land in the Highlands. "This referendum is important for our children and future generations. We must continue to support activities that preserve our drinking water, our recreational areas and historic agricultural sites," she said.
Her comments are also among the those emphasized by the NJ Keep It Green coalition of over 135 organizations. Tom Gilbert, Chairman of NJ Keep It Green, said, "We cannot afford to let our wise investments to preserve the lands that protect our water supplies end. We depend upon them for clean water, and future generations are depending on us to protect them."