$1.16 billion in new land protection funding approved by voters in 2001 - Rec Room - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Voters in 2001 approved 159 state and local ballot measures, committing $1.16 billion in new funding for parks and open space conservation, according to the Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the Land Trust Alliance (LTA). Sixty-seven percent of the referenda presented to voters was approved during the year.

Nearly 1.3 million individuals cast votes on November 6 alone in favor of increased open space funding in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington. The number increases when you add two mail-in referenda in California.

Among the largest measures approved on November 6 were:

* $200 million in Morris County, New Jersey, for open space, recreation, and farmland preservation

* $115 million in Colorado for the state's Great Outdoors Colorado program

* $80 million in Houston for acquisitions of and additions and improvements to parks and recreational facilities

* $60 million in Harris County, Texas, for acquisition and development of parks

* $50 million in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey, for open space acquisition

* $43 million in Douglas County, Colorado, for open space protection

Results in 2001 compare favorably to the support for open space evidenced at the ballot box in recent years. From 1998 to 2000, voters approved approximately $17.6 billion for open space protection.

Complete open space election results are available through LandVote 2001, an online service of the LTA and TPL, which is accessible through either www.tpl. org, or www.lta.org. The LandVote 2001 database is a partnership of TPL and LTA.