13:8A-36. Legislative findings

The Legislature hereby finds that:

a. The provision of lands for public recreation and the conservation of natural resources promotes the public health, prosperity and general welfare and is a proper responsibility of government;

b. Lands now provided for such purposes will not be adequate to meet the needs of an expanding population in years to come;

c. The expansion of population, while increasing the need for such lands, will continually diminish the supply and tend to increase the cost of public acquisition of lands available and appropriate for such purposes;

d. It is necessary to provide funds to assure that lands which have been, or which may hereafter be, acquired for recreation and conservation purposes can be developed to provide public recreation and conservation opportunities and to implement the New Jersey Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan;

e. The State of New Jersey must act now to acquire and develop as well as to assist local units to acquire and develop substantial quantities of such lands as are now available and appropriate for such purposes so that they may be used and preserved for use for such purposes;

f. Of the approved $200 million "New Jersey Green Acres and Recreation Opportunities Bond Act of 1974," the sum of $30 million is needed at this time for the acquisition of lands for recreation and conservation purposes to augment the lands acquired for the people of New Jersey;

g. Of the approved $200 million "New Jersey Green Acres and Recreation Opportunities Bond Act of 1974," the sum of $30 million is needed at this time for the development of lands for recreation and conservation purposes and to provide recreation and conservation opportunities to the people of New Jersey; and

h. Such sums will be made available by the sale of bonds authorized by the New Jersey Green Acres and Recreation Opportunities Bond Act of 1974 approved by the people of the State of New Jersey.

L.1975, c. 155, s. 2, eff. July 15, 1975.