Invest in parks, invest in New Jersey's future America's landscape is renowned for its parks and open spaces. Names such as Yellowstone, the Everglades, and the Adirondacks conjure up images that inspire wonder. Urban parks such as Central and Prospect parks in New York or Chicago's Grant Park are prized for the respite they provide. New Jersey has its own treasures with a beauty that takes no back seat to any of the above. Anyone who has watched the sun rise at Island Beach State Park, taken in the fall foliage from atop High Point, gone birding at Cape May Point or watched the Fourth of July Fireworks from Liberty State Park knows this is not hyperbole. These are our treasures, and they need our help. For too long, regular maintenance and desperately needed capital improvements at our parks, wildlife management areas and historic sites have been deferred in the state's annual budgeting. Today, the inventory of projects needing attention has a cost of approximately $250 million, ranging from a $2 million bulkhead repair project at Liberty State Park, where a section of the waterfront walkway has collapsed, to $1.5 million for structural repairs and restoration in Wharton State Forest. The list of projects needing attention is pages long. But finally, there is cause for hope. This past July, Gov. Jon Corzine signed a budget which provides a down payment of $9 million to address the most egregious problems facing these lands we hold in public trust. In addition, the Legislature authorized a constitutional amendment to be placed on the ballot this November. If passed, this amendment would provide a dedicated source of funds for maintenance and capital needs at our parks, historic sites and wildlife areas. It would rededicate environmental funds generated by the Corporate Business Tax to provide $15 million a year until 2015 and $32 million annually beginning in 2016. And because it is a rededication of existing revenues, it would provide this funding without any additional taxes. With the recent proposal to create three new urban state parks in Trenton, Paterson and River Edge, our park system has grown to 42 parks, 11 forests, three recreation areas, 43 natural areas and more than 50 historic sites. These lands, which contain some of the most significant landscapes and historic sites in the state, account for more than 397,000 acres. In the last 15 years, annual visitation to these sites has increased by nearly 50 percent. Over the past five years, an average of 15 million visitors per year used state park facilities. In 2005 the number of visitors increased to more than 18 million people. While the popularity of our parks has grown, our ability to maintain them has not. Without a stable source of funding it is virtually impossible to effectively plan and implement long-range management or facility development projects. This November's ballot question offers the opportunity to rectify this wrong. New Jersey's state park system is of great value, and the public's support for this ballot initiative is critical in maintaining our communities and the quality of life in our state. Parks and open spaces attract residents, businesses and economic activity to communities. When we invest in our parks, we are investing in New Jersey's future. On Nov. 7, please support our parks with a "yes" vote on Ballot Question 2. Lisa P. Jackson Commissioner N.J. Department of Environmental Protection