The NJ Senate Republicans website reports “Acting Governor Tahesha Way signed legislation sponsored by Senator Parker Space (R-24) and Assemblyman Michael Inganamort (R-24) appropriating $44.4 million… to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for the State acquisition of Green Acres open space lands and Blue Acres lands.” (A6275/S4921).
The NJDEP reports, “This funding ensures that lands vital for recreation and conservation are preserved for future generations, while also strengthening programs like Blue Acres that help monitor, manage, and reduce flooding risks in our most vulnerable areas.”
“The Green Acres Program was created in 1961 to meet New Jersey’s growing recreation and conservation needs. The Green Acres Program has directly protected more than 725,000 acres of open space and parkland and has funded 1,256 local and nonprofit park development and stewardship projects in communities around the state.” Over the years, NJ has committed $3.3 Billion in Green Acres funding.
“The New Jersey Trails Program was established with the passage of the New Jersey Trails System Act in 1974, laying the groundwork for a network of trails that provide for outdoor recreation and active transportation, and which connect people with their community, with their favorite places, and with each other.” The act charged the Department of Environmental Protection with the task of establishing a trails plan. “The first Trails Plan was created in 1982, updated in 1996 and again in 2009.” The New Jersey Trails Program develops, maintains and restores trails and trail-related facilities, funded under the federal Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grants established under the National Recreational Trails Fund Act in 1993.
If you require assistance related to NJ’s Green Acres and Blue Acres programs or The New Jersey Trails Program, please contact Alan P. Fox, Esquire.
