When Long Islanders head to the voting booths on Election Day, they should be sure not to overlook three important ballot initiatives that will help preserve open space in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

In Brookhaven, Suffolk's largest town, voters will weigh in on Proposal 3, otherwise known as the Community Preservation Fund. Designed to preserve farmland and open space, as well as protect the town's drinking water, the CPF considered by most to be a necessary defense against traffic congestion and overdevelopment. The CPF will also save residents money in the long term because they won't have to pay for services to be brought into undeveloped parts of town.

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian Foley supports the Community Preservation Fund and hopes his town can follow the example of other East End towns that already have CPFs in place. The towns of Riverhead, Southold, South Fork and Shelter Island have collectively raised $500 million and protected 6,000 acres of land.

The Community Preservation Fund is supported by a 2 percent real estate transfer tax on the purchase of property over $250,000. This tax would not apply to first-time homeowners or on the first $250,000 of any purchase. The money raised will directly fund open space preservation. Additionally, 25 percent of the total revenue will be set aside and sold at a later date to developers seeking to increase density on existing sites. This portion of the revenue will thus aid in the revitalization of blighted parts of town.

The Brookhaven Community Preservation Fund is expected to generate $30 million per year that could preserve 5,000 acres by 2025. This feat will be made easier by the fact that money collected by the CPF is eligible for matching funds from both Suffolk County and New York state. For more information on the CPF, check out the Nature Conservancy's Web site.

Brookhaven is not the only Long Island town pushing open space preservation: Voters in Oyster Bay will see an environmental bond on their ballots next Tuesday.

Oyster Bay, a Nassau County town also experiencing the adverse effects of sprawl and overdevelopment, announced a $60 million bond proposal otherwise known as the Save Environmental Assets Fund, or SEA III.

The $60 million SEA III bond is divided into two smaller bonds, each totaling $30 million. The first will go to open space and parkland acquisition while the second will be used to finance improvements on existing parks. Current estimates reveal that support of SEA III will cost the average household $2.65 a month. All of the SEA III money will stay in Oyster Bay and could leverage matching funds from state and county preservation programs.

Like Brookhaven's Community Preservation Fund, SEA III will preserve open space, protect vulnerable drinking water sources, and ward off the possibility of even more traffic congestion. Voter support of SEA III is especially crucial because Oyster Bay's current water protection and open space preservation fund will be exhausted by the end of the year.

The Town of Oyster Bay Citizens for Clean Water, Open Space and Parks has more information on SEA III.

And finally, voters throughout Suffolk County should approve an extension of the quarter-penny sales tax. This year's ballot initiative will extend the life of this small tax from 2013 to 2030, and will help protect the island's fragile drinking water sources. By renewing the tax now, the county can borrow against future revenues and take action now.

If you live on Long Island, be sure to do your part for the local environment -- by voting yes on these three critical ballot initiatives.

Newsletter Issue

• Ecopolitics Monthly --- October 2007