The single most effective step that can be taken for the conservation of open space in Ocean County is for the Freeholders to expand the successful County Natural Lands Trust Fund. Please help with a letter. See map:What neighboring counties spend.

March 2002

ALERT – IMPORTANT

Re: Please write Freeholder Joseph Vicari to urge authorization of a ballot referendum allowing voters to recommend two additional pennies on the property tax for the successful Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund.

Dear Friend of Save Barnegat Bay,

Natural open space is disappearing fast throughout the Barnegat Bay watershed. The Ocean County Freeholders have a powerful tool available to lessen the problem.

In the three short years since its inception, the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund has brought over 2,100 undeveloped acres throughout Ocean County into permanent conservation through purchase from willing sellers. (View a chart). This successful program is funded by a 1.2 cents per hundred dollars charge on your county property tax bill.

Not only has the program acquired a significant amount of natural open space, but by entering into partnerships with state and local governments and with private not-for-profits (including Save Barnegat Bay) the County has succeeded in dramatically leveraging the power of your tax dollars.

Unfortunately, as overdevelopment continues to rage throughout Ocean County, the Trust Fund is oversubscribed with willing sellers. This means that there are currently hundreds of acres that could be saved from the developers’ bulldozers if there were more money in the Trust Fund.

Our three neighboring counties have a higher open space tax than Ocean County.

Please write:

Freeholder Joseph Vicari
PO Box 2191
Toms River, NJ 08754

– Please congratulate and thank the Freeholder Board for the success of the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund.

– Please request that the Freeholder Board authorize a November ballot referendum allowing the voters to recommend up to two addittional cents on the property tax to conserve additional open space throughout Ocean County.

Feel free to mention any properties that are of particular interest to you. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

Sincerely,

William deCamp, Jr., President
Save Barnegat Bay

TAKE A LOOK AT THE OPEN SPACE TAX IN NEIGHBORING COUNTIES.

TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE LAND THE COUNTY HAS SAVED SO FAR.