New Jersey has one last chance to protect thousands of sensitive acres to keep water clean, provide recreation for millions of people, and stop bulldozers from rolling.

Twenty-five years ago, the legislature preserved the Pinelands. Now, it must save the Highlands.

The 1,000-square-mile area in northwestern New Jersey provides drinking water for 64 percent of the state - about 5.4 million people. The state's three largest industries - food processing, tourism and pharmaceuticals - also depend on that clean water. More people flock to the Highlands for fun every year than go to Yellowstone and Yosemite combined.

Yet sprawl is threatening the Highlands' future. Development gobbles up more than 5,000 acres of woods, meadows and farmland every year as New York commuters move west along Interstates 80 and 78.

The Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act aims to slow that rate by setting aside a vital core of 145,000 acres and directing development to more appropriate places within a regional planning area.

Gov. McGreevey has made Highlands preservation a cornerstone of his agenda. He sees it as his legacy, as he should.

But not everyone is thrilled with the idea. Crowds of up to 800 people turned out for local public meetings over the last few months. More than 400 people attended a three-hour hearing Thursday in Trenton.

One reason is that misinformation had spread like wildfire. Homeowners feared they wouldn't be able to build decks on existing houses. (Not true.) Builders claimed families would have no place to live. (Come on.) Some residents, seconded by a few environmentalists, insisted that all development be stopped. (The 'I've got mine; keep others out' argument.)

Other concerns aren't as far-fetched. This bill does have problems. It's good it wasn't rushed through committee symbolically on Earth Day as planned.

So far the bill has focused too much on preservation and not enough on planning. There's time to fix that, and other objections, before the final committee vote May 10.

The Highlands Task Force claims to have learned from mistakes made in the Pinelands, but the bill doesn't show it. When the state shuts down development in one place, that growth will move elsewhere. The towns outside the core area need help to prepare for the onslaught.

Just ask Pinelands towns like Egg Harbor Township, Galloway and Hamilton. They weren't ready and they got swamped.

Proponents argue that the difference is that the Highlands towns won't be required to accept development, as the Pinelands towns had to; participation in the Highlands regional plan is voluntary. But the simple ability to say "no" won't ensure good planning decisions when developers come knocking.

The Highlands' towns need planning assistance to prepare wisely for growth and then real incentives to accept it, so it goes in the best places. That may mean more state school aid, impact fees for school capital costs, help with sewer or road upgrades.

The bill's funding also needs clarification. Land owners in the preservation area deserve assurances they'll receive a fair price - without raiding the state's entire open-space pot at the expense of other regions.

New Jersey created a national model when it preserved the Pinelands, but the outcome hasn't been perfect. Legislators can learn from that experience to mold even better protections for the Highlands.

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