Do you favor a $35,500,000 bond issue to invest in land conservation, water access, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation opportunities, including hunting and fishing, farmland and working waterfront and to invest in state parks, historic sites and riverfront, community and farm infrastructure to be matched by at least $21,875,000 in private and public contributions?

Protecting and enhancing Maine’s “quality of place” has been a frequent refrain among policymakers since the Brookings Institution’s report on the state’s economic challenges was issued a year ago. Approving the $35.5 million bond in Question 4 gives residents an opportunity to invest in that quality. It is an investment the state needs to make.

The bond effectively spreads the money across the landscape, from fishing villages and riverfront communities to farmland and state parks.

The bulk of the bond – $17 million – is dedicated to the popular Land for Maine’s Future program, which has raised and spent nearly $100 million to date, purchasing and preserving land. With its 20-year history and a solid footing with voters, the LMF program has properly begun moving toward larger local and private matches, thereby providing more bang for the buck. Since 1999, on average, each $1 raised for LMF has been matched by $4. The fund should continue to seek projects that connect people with places. Land protection that gives access to beautiful, undeveloped areas close to population centers should be a priority.

Included in the $17 million is $3 million for a program that helps secure working waterfront land for commercial fisheries. The working waterfront initiative protects, through purchases or easements, dock and loading access for the fisheries.

The $35.5 million bond also provides $7.5 million for capital improvements at the state’s 40-plus state parks and historic sites. Also included is $5 million, expected to leverage an additional $10 million, to be awarded competitively to riverfront communities to spur economic development to link river access and municipal goals. These projects might include trails linking one riverfront community to another or improving existing recreational facilities like parks.

And the bond earmarks $1.5 million to help farmers develop water sources like farm ponds and wells, and another $1.5 million will be set aside for municipalities for public infrastructure grants and loans.

The law supporting the bond correctly requires any land acquired or conserved must allow hunting, fishing, trapping and public access, except where existing law applies and except for working waterfront projects and farmland protection projects.

As the Brookings report put it, “Accessible wild places and tranquil country farms, human-scaled Main Streets, and working waterfronts: These are what differentiate Maine from other places and in many respects drive its economy.” A yes vote on Question 4 will help ensure Maine remains this way.