Supporters of a potential 2026 voter referendum that could generate $100 million annually for conservation and restoration efforts around water and nature said Tuesday they surpassed the number of signatures that are due this week.
Advocates with the Protect Water and Nature ballot initiative gathered more than 100,000 signatures for the measure, exceeding the 74,574 signatures that must be filed with local election officials for certification by Wednesday, spokesperson Andrew Farnitano said. The measure would steer sales tax revenue from sporting goods like golf clubs, RVs and camping gear into a new “Nature for All Fund.”
The $100 million estimate is based on the $2.49 billion in sporting goods sales recorded in Massachusetts in 2022, according to Farnitano, and the ballot question, if approved, would not cut into the portions of the sales tax that are already earmarked for the MBTA and the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
“People were thrilled to hear of this ballot initiative to allocate existing revenue from the sales tax on sporting goods to protect our natural resources, public open space and parks!” Karen Buck of the Friends of the Malden River community group said in a statement provided by the campaign.
The petition’s goal is to conserve or restore land to protect drinking water, streams, rivers, lakes, coasts, farms and forests. Funding could also support land and natural resources with “indigenous cultural significance,” and help with the management of parks, trails and outdoor recreation access, according to the petition.
The proposed ballot question would also create a 15-member oversight board, tasked with setting rules on how the money should be allocated and aligned with “environmental justice principles.”
“As we talk to our neighbors at farmers’ markets and parks across the state, it’s clear that voters want to prioritize and protect our rivers, lakes, forests, farms, and other natural areas, especially as federal funding for land and water conservation is under threat,” said Andrew Sharpe, CEO of the Boston-based Authentic Caribbean Foundation. “With this ballot question, we can deliver clean water, healthy forests, more trails and parks, and access to the outdoors and nature for everyone in Massachusetts — all without raising taxes.”
Farnitano said the signatures were collected by volunteers and paid signature gatherers.