Blue and Green Acres

   

You have probably seen signs marking projects and spaces as "Green Acres." Created in 1961, the New Jersey Green Acres Program is the state's premier initiative for land conservation and park development. Operated under the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), its primary mission is to protect undeveloped land, counter rapid urban sprawl, and ensure that every community in the nation’s most densely populated state has access to outdoor recreation.  

Over its history, voters have consistently supported the program through a dozen bond referendums, establishing a permanent funding source through a dedicated portion of the state's Corporate Business Tax. To date, Green Acres has directly or indirectly helped protect over 1.6 million acres of open space across New Jersey. 

An offshoot of that program, Blue Acres focuses on climate resilience and flood protection.Established in 1974, this program allows private non-profit organizations to be exempt from local property taxes on land they own, provided that the land is kept natural and completely open to the public for conservation and recreation.

New Jersey's Blue Acres program is a state-led, voluntary buyout initiative that purchases flood-prone residential properties from willing sellers. Managed by the DEP, the program demolishes the damaged homes and permanently preserves the land as open space for natural flood storage, wetlands, and passive recreation.

Property must be residential and located in a flood-prone or chronically storm-damaged area. There is no minimum number of neighbors required to participate.

The state offers Fair Market Value based on independent appraisals. Eligible participants may also qualify for supplemental assistance, incentives, and relocation services to help clear existing mortgages or debt and secure comparable housing.

Don't Waste Our Open Space

On the one year anniversary of its Illegal Dumping Initiative, NJDEP is conducting a survey to understand people's perception of illegal dumping issues on State lands. The data collected from this survey will be used to understand the effectiveness of outreach efforts and their impact on the public since the beginning of the "Don't Waste Our Open Space" campaign last year.

Please complete the survey on the SurveyMonkey website:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NJDEPIDS2015



Public lands all over New Jersey are being used as dumping grounds. Litter, garbage bags, tires, televisions, electronic waste, appliances, yard waste, and construction debris are being dumped and threatening our local environment, animals and public. This dumping detracts from the natural beauty of our public lands; it decreases property value, and costs the citizens of New Jersey tax dollars to cleanup.

NJ Voters Approve Ballot Question on Preservation

New Jersey voters voted YES this week on Ballot Question 2, amending the state constitution to set aside a larger percentage of the corporate business tax (from 4 to 6%) for preservation. This does not mean an increase in the corporate or other taxes, just a reallocation of how the collected taxes are dispensed. 

 

The question was approved by an overwhelming 65 percent of Garden State voters. According to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, this is the fourteenth time in 52 years that voters have approved efforts to preserve New Jersey's clean water, productive farmland, parks, natural lands and historic sites.

Being the nation's most densely populated state, makes saving land for all of our communities even more critical. For example, with rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms, protecting lands that mitigate flooding all the more urgent.  

New Jersey is considered to be the first state projected to be fully "built out" - with all land either preserved or developed. Preserving and adding what we can to parks, farmlands,  and forests, and investing in open spaces can help protect and expand a healthy environment for current and future generations.

NJ State Senate Approves Open Space Funding

On Thursday, June 20, the State Senate voted on a critical bill (SCR138) to provide sustainable funding for continued preservation. The bill passed 36 to 2. If you contacted your state senator, then your voice was heard.

Now, the Legislature must take final action on the bill by the end of June to send the measure to the November ballot for voter approval. SCR138 amends the NJ Constitution to dedicate, for 30 years, 1/5 of a cent for each dollar subject to sales tax for preservation of open space, including flood prone areas and lands that protect water supplies, farmland, and historic properties.

Next week, this will go before the Assembly, so please contact your assemblyperson and ask him or her to vote YES on SCR138 and ALLOW VOTERS TO DECIDE on Green Acres, Blue Acres, farmland preservation and historic preservation.

To find your Assemblyman, click here

NJ Land Conservation Rally 2013

NJ Land Conservation Rally

March 9, 2013

Connecting People with, Land, Nature and Each Other

One-day educational conference about preserving New Jersey’s open space and farmland

NJ Institute of Technology - Newark, New Jersey

Registration is open!

For morning workshop descriptions, click here >>

For Lightning Round and workshop descriptions, click here >>

For field trip descriptions, click here >>

For presenter biographies, click here >>