America’s landscape, be it urban or rural, is renowned worldwide for its parks and open spaces.  Names such as Yellowstone, the Everglades, Big Sur and the Adirondacks, conjure up images that inspire awe and wonder. Urban parks such as Central and Prospect Parks in New York or Chicago’s Grant Park along Lake Michigan are prized for the respite they provide to city residents and visitors alike.  Our parks are, indeed, treasures. 

New Jersey has its own set of treasures with beauty that takes no back seat to any of the above.  Though the names may not be as well known, anyone who has watched the sun rise on the beach at Island Beach State Park, taken in the fall foliage from atop High Point, gone birding at Cape May Point or watched the Fourth of July Fireworks from Liberty State Park knows this is not hyperbole.  These are our treasures, and they need our help. 

For far too long, regular maintenance and desperately needed capital improvements at our state parks, wildlife management areas and historic sites have been deferred in the state’s annual budgeting.  Today, the inventory of projects needing attention has an estimated cost of approximately $250 million.  They range from a $2 million bulkhead repair project at Liberty State Park, where a section of the waterfront walkway has collapsed to $1.5 million for structural repairs and restoration work at the Batsto Mansion in Wharton State Forest. In Warren County, the Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery has been closed to the public since 1985 because deferred maintenance has created safety concerns.   In Belleplain State Forest, capital funds are needed to extend water lines to guarantee the future safety of the park’s water supply. 

The list of projects needing attention is pages long and covers the state from north to south and east to west. For the staff that tends to these sites and the public that appreciates them, it has been heartbreaking to see the work deferred for so long and it will take years for the state to catch up. But finally, there is cause for hope. 

This past July, for the first time in years, Governor Corzine signed a budget, which provides a down payment of $9 million to address the most egregious problems facing these lands we hold in public trust.  Even more important, the legislature authorized a constitutional amendment that the Governor and I helped craft so that it could be placed on the ballot this November.  If passed, this amendment will provide a dedicated source of funds for these maintenance and capital needs.  The amendment would rededicate environmental funds generated by the Corporate Business Tax and provide $15 million a year until 2015 and $32 million annually beginning in 2016.  And because it is a rededication of existing revenues, it would provide this funding without any additional taxes. 

With the recent proposal to create three new urban state parks in Trenton, Paterson and River Edge, New Jersey’s state park system has grown to 42 parks, 11 forests, three recreation areas, 43 natural areas and more than 50 historic sites and districts. It also includes several marinas and a golf course. These lands, which contain some of the most significant natural landscapes and historic sites in the state, account for more than 397,000 acres.

In the last 15 years, annual visitation to the state’s parks, forests and historic sites has increased by nearly 50 percent.  Over the past five years, an average of 15 million visitors per year used the state park system's sites and facilities.  In 2005, that number climbed to more than 18 million people.  Just this Fourth of July, more than 70,000 people visited Liberty State Park to celebrate our nation’s independence. 

While the popularity of our parks has grown immensely, unfortunately, our ability to keep the parks in top condition has not. Without a stable source of funding it is virtually impossible to effectively plan and implement long-range resource management or facility development projects. Years of neglect have led to a decline in the services provided at our parks, denying the public the enjoyment of all the opportunities our sites have to offer.  This November’s ballot question offers the opportunity to rectify this wrong, but, despite unanimous legislative support for placing this proposal before the voters, success cannot be taken for granted. 

 As mayors you recognize firsthand what parks mean to our communities. I need your help to educate your constituents on the value of New Jersey’s state parks system, what it provides to state residents and the importance of support for this ballot question. Parks and open spaces attract residents, businesses, and economic activity to communities.  These sites offer community meeting places, recreational opportunities and spots to enjoy the tranquility of the outdoors. The public’s support for this ballot initiative is critical in maintaining the beauty and quality of life in our state. As their representatives and leaders, you can and must remind them that when we invest in our parks, we are investing in New Jersey’s future.