Funding package includes $37 for critical capital repairs at State Parks, Forests, Refuges

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STATE INVESTMENT IN LAND PRESERVATION SINCE 1999 REACHES $2.7 BILLION

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TRENTON – The board of the Garden State Preservation Trust on Tuesday
approved $78 million to acquire land for State parks, forests and refuges, to fund
capital repair projects on State recreation lands and to restore historic sites.
Over the past 20 years the Garden State Preservation Trust (GSPT) has approved
$2.73 billion in state funding to preserve more than 460,000 acres of state parks,
forests, wildlife refuges and private farmland.

“There is no state-based program in the United States that can point to this
accomplishment in protecting our natural lands and the resources they provide to every
citizen,” said GSPT Chairman Andy Buzby.

“These priceless resources include clean water, captured carbon, heat reduction,
wildlife habitat and locally grown farm produce,” he said.

The largest allocation of funds approved Tuesday was $37 million to repair and
rehabilitate critical facilities at State parks, forest and refuges, which have been burdened
for decades by a backlog in neglected projects.

Also, $27.4 million was approved for the Office of Green Acres State to acquire
lands to add to existing parks and forests. These are tracts which have become
available for purchase from willing sellers. The trust board also approved $3 million
for the Blue Acres flood-site acquisition program, which is also run by the Office of
Green Acres.

The trust board allocated $10.8 million to the New Jersey Historic Trust based
on their recommendations for 23 “bricks and mortar” construction or rehabilitation
projects statewide plus smaller grants to 29 sites for project planning or to promote
heritage tourism.

This brings the two-year total for historic project funding to $22.7 million, the
most for the Historic Trust in the 52 years since it was established.

This year, the segment of the Corporation Business Tax which is constitutionally
dedicated to conservation and preservation purposes will provide $113.6 million to the
broad range of conservation programs: park and natural land acquisitions,
conservation, farmland preservation, recreational development, capital projects at State
parks and wildlife refuges, and historic preservation grants. Combined with funds from
previous years which were not appropriated or which were held in reserve, these CBT
revenues bring the total available to almost $220 million.