Nassau County environmental, civic and business groups rallied at a special meeting of the Nassau County Legislature on Tuesday to support the placement of a $50 million Environmental Bond Act on the Nov. 2 ballot. If approved, the Trust Fund would protect water, preserve open space and farmland and improve parks. The measure's supporters are asking the Nassau County Legislature and County Executive Tom Suozzi to enact legislation putting the referendum to county voters.

Called the "Clean Water, Open Space and Parks Trust Fund," the $50 million Bond Act would direct approximately 40 percent to land preservation with a focus on protecting water quality; approximately 26 percent would be directed to acquisition of new parkland and expansion and improvements to existing parks, including park safety; and about 26 percent would go to capital improvements, including controlling storm water runoff. Management and oversight would be limited to less than five percent.

If approved, the average Nassau family would pay $7 per year to fund a wide range of water, land and parks projects. The funds generated could be used only for this purpose and their expenditure would be overseen by an Environmental Trust Citizens Advisory Committee appointed by the county executive and county legislature.

"The Nassau public overwhelmingly supports this initiative," said Erik Kulleseid of the Trust for Public Land. "In poll after poll and referendum after referendum, Long Islanders regularly agree to make investments in open space and environmental protection, joining countrywide trends," he added.

"The Environmental Trust fund will help protect Nassau's supply of pure fresh drinking water for our children and grandchildren," Joseph Lorintz, executive director of the Long Island Drinking water coalition explained. Lisa Ott, executive director of the North Shore Land Alliance added, "We have so little open space left in our county that we must do all we can to save what's left." and Neal Lewis of Long Island Neighborhood Network observed, "We must make an investment in Nassau County's open space, parks and recreation facilities in the interest of every Nassau family."

If approved by the legislature and the county executive, the referendum would appear on the Nassau County ballot, Nov. 2. "There is no question that voters will overwhelmingly support this excellent Environmental Trust Fund, just as Suffolk voters have time and time again," said Richard Amper, executive director of the Long Island Pine Barrens Society. "It would be a bargain at three times the price," he added.