New study: NY Environmental Protection Fund creates jobs and boosts economy

The Environmental Protection Fund, New York's dedicated fund for land conservation and other environmental programs, returns $40 billion a year to the state's economy and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, according to a new analysis by The Trust for Public Land.

The EPF is the principal source of funding for protecting farms, forests, and open space in New York. Between 1998 and 2008, it protected 358,000 acres, helping to support the outdoor recreation economy, increase tourism, and support farming and forestry.

Land conservation also supports the production of food, timber, and other natural products and reduces costs for flood control, stormwater management, and drinking water protection. The report found that every $1 invested through the EPF in protecting land returned $7 in economic benefits through these natural goods and ecosystem services.

The Environmental Protection Fund also brings in positive economic returns through investment in local parks, recreation, botanic gardens, zoos, and historic preservation, and in recycling and solid waste management.

In the 2010-11 fiscal year, funding for the Environmental Protection Fund was $134 million, about one-tenth of one percent of the state budget, and down from $222 million in 2009. The Conservation Campaign hosts the We Love New York campaign to support funding for the EPF.

Some highlights from the report:

-- Approximately 130,000 jobs in New York State are supported by active outdoor recreation activity, including biking, hiking, and canoeing. Active outdoor recreation generates annual tax revenues for the state of nearly $800 million.

-- Recreational lands protected with EPF funding attract millions of visitors annually to hunt, fish or wildlife-watch, generating more than $3 billion in annual sales.

-- In 2007, the 36,400 farms in New York State had annual sales of $4.4 billion and provided almost 120,000 jobs.

-- The creation of the EPF-supported Hudson River Park in New York City, still under way, has already added $200 million to nearby property values.

For the full report, go to The Trust for Public Land website.