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) The State of New Jersey must act now to acquire and to assist local governments to acquire 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; and (e) The sum of $60,000,000.00 is needed now to make such acquisition possible. (f) Such sum will be made available by the sale of bonds authorized by the New Jersey Green Acres Bond Act of 1961, if the same be approved by the people; (g) It is desirable to appropriate said sum for prompt use and to specify the manner in which the Legislature now proposes that such sum, and such other funds as may be appropriated, shall be used for such purposes. L.1961, c. 45, p. 478, s. 2.