Audubon Highlands Alert

HIGHLANDS ACTION ALERT
Date: April 05, 2004
From: Ted Korth {tkorth@njaudubon.org}

Citizens have been working together to preserve the water supply, forests and farmland, wildlife habitat, recreational and scenic resources of the New Jersey Highlands for more than 15 years. Since 1988 the Highlands Coalition has coordinated these efforts. NOW - FINALLY - we all have an unprecedented opportunity to prevent further massive sprawl in the region, and to preserve the priceless lands that protect our water and wildlife.

Last September, Governor James McGreevey appointed a Highlands Task Force to make recommendations on how the region and its resources could be protected. On March 13, the Task Force released a comprehensive set of recommendations to protect the region (report accessible at http://www.savethehighlands.org). If enacted, these recommendations would be a monumental step forward in protecting the most important lands and natural resources in the Highlands. The recommendations include: Creation of a core preservation area encompassing half of the Highlands Region (350,000 to 390,000 acres) with stringent and mandatory protections, an aggressive acquisition effort and transfer of development rights program; Establishment of a regional planning council and plan whose authority over land use would be mandatory in the core preservation area and that would be implemented outside the core area through incentives to municipalities; Increased regulatory protection for steep slopes, water, forests and other natural resources; Better management of state-preserved land, including "scenic and wild" designation.

LEGISLATIVE ACTION IS NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THESE STRONG TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE HIGHLANDS.

Legislation has been introduced to protect the region (S1/A2635- The Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act)! Senator Bob Smith, Chair of the Senate Environment Committee and Assemblyman John F. McKeon, Chair of the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee, are sponsoring legislation to protect the Highlands, and have scheduled expedited hearings before the Senate and Assembly Environment Committees to consider these recommendations.

Please HELP PASS THIS LANDMARK LEGISLATION BY PARTICIPATING IN ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS!

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PLEASE RSVP THAT YOU WILL ATTEND A HEARING(S)!

Interests that support the status quo will be working to oppose any legislative action to protect the region. Please RSVP to Dawn Serra at the Highlands Coalition (609) 737-7263 or highlandsco@earthlink.net regarding which hearing(s) you will attend. We will send you additional information about the hearing and the legislation. Directions to hearing locations can be found at http://www.njsendems.com on the Senate Environment Committee page.

April 12 in Morristown, 7 PM,
Frelinghuysen Arboretum April 15 Lebanon Township, 7 PM,
Voorhees High School April 22 in Trenton, 10 AM, Committee Rm. 4, Statehouse Annex

IT IS CRITICAL THAT WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS PUBLIC TURNOUT AT THESE HEARINGS!

PLEASE THANK THE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE CHAIRS!

Please thank Senator Smith at (732) 752-0770 and Assemblyman McKeon at (973) 275-1113 for sponsoring legislation to protect the Highlands and for scheduling expedited hearings.

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR OWN STATE LEGISLATORS!

Every legislator, especially those who represents the Highlands or are members of the Senate or Assembly Environment Committees, needs to hear from his or her constituents with a general message of support for the Task Force recommendations and the legislation to implement them and protect the region.

Please contact the offices of your Senator and Assembly members and tell them or their staffs that you support the recommendations of the Highlands Task Force and that you urge them to support S1/A2635, the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act. (To determine your district, or to find mailing and email addresses, go to the Legislature's web site at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us).

PLEASE CONTACT ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS!

Even if you do not live in the district of the committee members, you should contact their offices and make the following points: The Highlands provide drinking water for more than half of New Jersey's residents (including, for committee members listed in bold, residents in the member's district); Without state action, that drinking water will be degraded by sprawl; You support the recommendations of the Highlands Task Force; and You urge them to release S1/A-2635 from committee.

ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEMBER CONTACT INFORMATION

Senator Stephen Sweeney, District 3 (All of Salem and parts of Cumberland and Gloucester Counties): (856)251-9801

Senator John Adler, District 6 (Part of Camden County): (856) 489-3442

Senator Henry McNamara, District 40 (Parts of Bergen, Essex and Passaic Counties): (201) 848-9600

Senator Andrew Ciesla, District 10 (Parts of Monmouth and Ocean Counties): (732) 840-9028

Assemblyman Michael Panter, District 12 (Parts of Mercer and Monmouth Counties): (732) 741-5599

Assemblyman Larry Chatzidakis, District 8 (Part of Burlington County): (856) 234-8080

Assemblyman Robert Gordon, District 38 (Part of Bergen County): (201) 703-9779

Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, District 15 (Part of Mercer County): (609) 292-0500

Assemblyman Louis Manzo, District 31 (Part of Hudson County): (201) 309-0770

Assemblyman John Rooney, District 39 (Part of Bergen County): (201) 967-8910

To find mailing and email addresses, see http://www.njleg.state.us.

For further information: contact Wilma Frey, NJ Conservation Foundation, 908-234-1225 or wilma@njconservation.org, or Tom Gilbert, Highlands Coalition, 609-818-1776, tgilbert@igc.org.

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS!

Mayors, council members, environmental commissioners, planning board members and other local elected officials from around the state are signing a letter to the Legislature urging them to pass this legislation. Please contact the elected and appointed officials in your town and urge them to sign the letter. (A copy of the letter and the cover note from the elected officials on the Highlands Task Force is attached.)

PLEASE URGE EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO TAKE ACTION!

A powerful combination of development interests and home rule adherents are already mobilizing to defeat this bill. We can't match their money, but they can't match our numbers. It is critical that we ensure that those numbers are heard. An activity sheet on the next page outlines some of the activities that are important to undertake if we are to preserve the Highlands. Please use it to organize your members, employees, family, vendors, friends, elected officials and others to weigh in on this legislation.

We have an historic opportunity to protect the Highlands that is not likely to ever happen again! It is important that we all do everything we can to succeed.

Thank you for your help in protecting the Highlands!

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HIGHLANDS WATER PROTECTION AND PLANNING ACT ACTIVITY REPORT

I have accomplished the following items (please place a check next to each that you have completed, and fill in numbers as appropriate):

___I am going to attend the __________________ hearing, and ____ of my members will come with me and testify.

___I have contacted: Sens. ___Smith; ___Sweeney; ___Adler; ___McNamara; ___Ciesla; Assms. ___McKeon; ___ Panter; ___Chatzidakis; ___Gordon; ___Gusciora; ___Manzo; ___Rooney; ___My legislators in District____ (A reminder, to determine legislative districts, mailing and email addresses, go to http://www.njleg.state.nj.us).

___I have contacted ___ the mayor, ___ councilmembers, ___ environmental commissioners, ___ planning board members, and other elected and appointed officials (please specify______________________________) in my town of _______________________.

___All ____ of my organization's employees have contacted their legislators and local elected and appointed officials (This is an excellent lunchtime group activity).

___All ____ of my board members have contacted their legislators and local elected and appointed officials.

___I have forwarded this alert to my ____ members with a message from me urging them to contact the bill sponsors, Environmental Committee members, their own legislators, and their local elected and appointed officials.

___I have forwarded this alert to ____ of my non-foundation contributors with a message from me urging them to contact the bill sponsors, Environmental Committee members, and their own legislators.

____ I have followed up by phone with my business and corporate contributors because it is especially critical for legislators to hear from the business community.

___I have forwarded this alert to ____ of my vendors, suppliers and other business associates with a message from me urging them to contact the bill sponsors, Environmental Committee members and their own legislators.

___I have forwarded this alert to ____ of my family and friends with a message from me urging them to contact the bill sponsors, Environmental Committee members and their own legislators.

___I have made this alert available to the public at my ____ environmental centers and other public locations.

___I have written a letter to the editor of my daily newspaper (please specify:____________) which was published on _________, and I have written a letter to the editor of my local weekly newspaper (please specify:_______________) which was published on ________.

___I called into the following radio program __________________ on station _________ on ___/___ to highlight the importance of protecting the Highlands.

The first vote on this legislation is scheduled for April 22, so it is important that you forward this information to your members, family, friends, contributors, vendors and others beginning early the week of April 5. If possible, you should complete outreach to your local elected and appointed officials by April 9, and complete outreach to the bill sponsors, Environment Committee members and your own legislators by April 16. However, if you are unable to contact them by then, do not stop trying. You should continue to reach out to them until you contact them or their staffs.

As you begin filling in this report, please fax it to Paul Chrystie at (215) 665-8641.

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE FILLED IN EVERY ITEM TO FAX IT. Paul is expecting multiple faxes from each organization, and so you should fax him an update at least every other day.

* * *

Theodore J. Korth, Director of Policy NJ Audubon Society 80 Scotts Corner Rd Cranbury NJ 08512 T: 609.897.9400 F: 609.897.0287 E: tkorth@njaudubon.org

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