Columbus, Ohio – October 23, 2008 – Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) strongly endorse voting yes to renew the Clean Ohio Fund this November 4th. The Clean Ohio Fund restores, protects, and connects Ohio’s important natural and urban places by preserving green space and farmland, improving outdoor recreation, and by cleaning up brownfields to encourage redevelopment and revitalize communities.
The citizens of Ohio voted to approve the Clean Ohio Fund with a $400 million bond program in 2000. The Fund consists of four competitive statewide programs: The Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund, the Clean Ohio Agricultural Easement Purchase Program, the Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program, and the Clean Ohio Trails Fund.
In April 2008, Governor Strickland, Lt. Governor Fisher, Ohio Senate President Harris, and Ohio House Speaker Husted announced a $1.57 billion jobs stimulus package that aims to create new jobs while laying the foundation for future economic prosperity. Recognizing the importance of Clean Ohio as critical to that effort, the legislature placed a $400 million renewal of the Clean Ohio Fund as Issue 2 on the November 2008 ballot.
“Renewing the Clean Ohio Fund program is a critical step to preserving our ever-dwindling natural resources,” said Doug Bensman, PF/QF Regional Wildlife Biologist in Ohio, “Ohio voters have in their control on opportunity to ensure assets are provided to make this state a great place to love for future generations.”
A Clean Ohio grant this year helped PF/QF purchase a prime 100-acre Union County parcel of wooded bottomland and CRP fields near Mount Victory, Ohio. Without help from the Clean Ohio Fund, the project would have never been completed. “That’s 100 acres that will be protected forever,” said Jim Inglis, PF/QF Farm Bill Biologist Coordinator and a resident of Marysville, Ohio, “Ohio is losing wildlife habitat faster than most states, so the renewal of the Clean Ohio Fund is essential in terms of continuing to protect and conserve land. We can protect more land that would be open to public hunting with continued funding.”
For more information on the Clean Ohio Fund, please visit www.clean.ohio.gov. If unsure as to whether or not you are a registered voter in the state of Ohio, or if you’re unclear about where to vote, please visit the Ohio Secretary of State’s website.
Ohio’s 37 PF chapters, 1 QF chapter and 6,100 PF/QF members have spent $6.1 million on wildlife habitat conservation. Those funds have translated into 14,000 habitat projects, benefiting 117,000 total acres for pheasants, quail and other wildlife.
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are non-profit conservation organizations dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant, quail, and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. PF/QF has more than 129,000 members in 700 local chapters across the continent.
For additional information please visit www.PheasantsForever.org and www.QuailForever.org
