Jon S. Corzine: “on November 30, 2004, President Bush signed the bipartisan Highlands Conservation Act into law to authorize up to $11…”

“on November 30, 2004, President Bush signed the bipartisan Highlands Conservation Act into law to authorize up to $11 million per year over the next 10 years for land conservation partnership projects and open space purchases from willing sellers in the four-state Highlands Region. This law recognizes the national significance of land and water resources in the 3.5 million acre Highlands Region which stretches from northwestern Connecticut, across the lower Hudson River Valley in New York, through New Jersey and into east-central Pennsylvania. It will safeguard these critical resources to protect the pristine wilderness and wildlife of the Highlands. The value of the natural, recreational and scenic resources of the Highlands cannot be overstated. In a study of the New York-New Jersey Highlands region alone, the Forest Service found that 170 million gallons are drawn from the Highlands aquifers daily, providing quality drinking water for over 11 million people; 247 threatened or endangered species live in the New Jersey-New York Highlands region, including the timber rattlesnake, wood turtle, red-shouldered hawk, barred owl, and great blue heron. According to the U.S. Forest Service, over 14 million people visit the New York-New Jersey Highlands for outdoor recreation, more than Yellowstone National Park and our most heavily visited natural treasures.”