Americans Support New Conservation Funding
The Nature Conservancy held a series of focus groups in September, followed by a national poll of Americans, to see how they felt about supporting new conservation funding. Almost 2/3s of those polled said yes to wanting more increased public investments in conservation at the state, local or federal levels.
The poll showed that the people believe that protecting clean water and lands are most consistent with the needs of future generations. While the biggest concerns were the economy and the health care, isn’t it good to know that 3 out of 5 Americans would endorse protecting natural areas. The commitment to conservation also showed solid majorities that would be willing to pay as much as $100 in annual taxes to support conservation.
If these overall statistics apply at a local level, let’s hope that in the new year, with new Council and Mayor incoming, the voice of the times for now and the future will be heard and acted upon at our local level of government. We are grateful that professional people come forward to serve at the local government level and we warmly thank all the outgoing officials along with welcoming the new.
