Governor Whitman's commitment complements efforts announced by PIPC, New York and the federal government today. In total, over 19,000 acres will be preserved as Sterling Forest State Park. Over 2,000 preserved acres are in New Jersey. And, I want to assure all New Jerseyans that we will continue to invest in land preservation to ensure that we have an ample supply of clean water. Just as we are preserving a million acres in New Jersey over the next decade, we need to encourage and support our neighbors to take similar action.
Open space is critical to our quality of life.