Green Acres 50th Anniversary Celebration

The land preservation community gathered at D&R Greenway's circa-1900 barn
on Thursday, October 20th to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the New
Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Green Acres Program. People
traveled from across the Garden State to acknowledge, in the words of
Congressman Rush Holt, "the great work of the Green Acres Program staff."

The event was coordinated by D&R Greenway Land Trust, the New Jersey
Conservation Foundation, and the Keep it Green Coalition.

The Green Acres Program was established in 1961 to preserve open space and
expand public recreation opportunities. New Jersey's citizens have
overwhelmingly supported Green Acres because they enjoy the benefits:
hiking in the woods, fishing in a sparkling stream, relaxing at the beach,
or scoring the winning run at the local playground. Green Acres has touched
virtually every neighborhood in New Jersey.

NJ DEP Commissioner Bob Martin expressed appreciation to D&R Greenway for
hosting the event, commending them for their preservation successes. He
recognized the contribution of the land preservation community saying,
"Thank you to all the partners who are here tonight. It is with your help
that Green Acres has been able to preserve over 650,000 acres across the
State."

Commissioner Martin assured the audience that "preservation is Governor
Christie's priority, and my own. The Green Acres Program is recognized
nationally, and the State's voters have supported all thirteen preservation
bond issues." He closed by reiterating both the Governor's and his own
support for sustainable funding for the preservation of open space now and
into the future.

"D&R Greenway commends Green Acres' half century of efforts and victories in
the cause of land preservation," CEO and President Linda Mead had observed,
as conveyed by Board Chair Alan Hershey. "As the first State-funded
open-space program in our nation, Green Acres set the tone for others who
have followed New Jersey's commitment. States that have not faced
development so early and all-encompassing as New Jersey's look to Green
Acres as a model for their own efforts."

The night's key question became, "What would New Jersey look like today if
we had not been bold enough to establish the Green Acres Program in 1961?"
Linda Mead's heart-of-the-matter challenge was forcefully delivered by
Chairman Hershey: "In New Jersey, preservation of open space is not a
luxury: it is a necessity for the quality of life and health of our
residents."

Chief Operations Officer, Isles, Inc., Liz Johnson commended "the dedication
of Green Acres over the years to urban parks and urban open space." She
credited the Green Acres Program with "allowing Trenton to celebrate its
history with memorable monuments and parks." Ms. Johnson particularly lauded
Green Acres "for creating open space for families and children who need
space to play."

Tom Gilbert of The Trust for Public Land spoke on behalf of the NJ Keep It
Green Coalition's 135 member organizations and thanked Commissioner Martin
and the Green Acres staff for their achievements in protecting open space in
New Jersey. Mr. Gilbert reminded the capacity crowd that "Green Acres has
protected clean drinking water, preserved natural and floodplain areas,
improved public health, helped revitalize our cities and contributed
significantly to the economy." He also noted how much preservation work is
left to be done with almost two million acres in New Jersey still up for
grabs." Mr. Gilbert admonished the crowd: "It is up to those of us in this
room to safeguard and continue the legacy of Green Acres," adding that "We
must do everything we can to create sustainable funding to continue these
vital preservation efforts for decades to come."

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D&R Greenway Land Trust