Invest in future; vote for Open Space Act Nov. 3

Today it is time to invest in the future, despite our confrontation with the worst economy in a generation. In this economic environment, it is easy to understand the desire to have government pull back and spend less. In some instances, this is the right thing to do. But when it comes to this November's open space bond issue, penny-pinching would be a great mistake.

The same economic forces that have driven down the price of homes have also driven down the cost of land. This makes now the right time to buy and preserve our most precious and irreplaceable resource— open space.

Continued investment in open space, farmland and historic preservation is of vital importance to the economy and the resources of Monmouth County, and to New Jersey as a whole. Increasing pressure from development means New Jersey now loses 50 acres of open space every day. The Garden State Preservation Trust — the state's financing authority for Green Acres, Farmland Preservation and Historic Preservation programs — is almost out of money. Funds from the bond referendum approved by voters in 2007 have been spent on preservation programs— but there is more work to be done, more land and farms to be saved.

On Nov. 3, the voters of New Jersey will be asked to approve The Green Acres, Water Supply and Floodplain Protection, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2009, which will authorize the state to issue $400 million in bonds to continue New Jersey's preservation programs.

If passed, the bond act will cost taxpayers approximately $10 a year per household — less than $1 a month.

The many reasons to buy open land are well understood: Open space provides a place for recreation, it protects the drinking water supply for millions of people, and it helps preserve wildlife habitats, working farms and natural areas. Preserving open land is arguably the best single investment government can make — and it is an investment that leaves a legacy for our children and grandchildren.

In this real estate market, we may have the best chance we will ever have in our generation to buy the land necessary for our county's open space requirements. If we wait for recovery, we will pay dearly. Recovery will bring with it a resurgent real estate market that, coupled with already existing scarcity, will drive up prices and consume the very acres of fields, forests and farmland that we now have an opportunity to preserve.

By passing the bond referendum today, we will give New Jersey the dollars it needs to fund preservation that will be the foundation of a stronger, brighter future for the Garden State. Debt incurred today at the low interest rates that are available now will be paid off in the future when the economy has recovered and land prices have risen to perhaps prohibitive levels.

This is a time for decisive action that transcends political parties and partisanship. We must seize this opportunity and come together to make this investment now. I urge residents to vote "yes" on public question No. 1 on Nov. 3 so that we can continue to safeguard our natural, agricultural, recreational and cultural resources for our residents and their children's children.
Freeholder Lillian Burry
Colts Neck