Robert Snow, president of the Fresno Audubon Society, argues in the Fresno Bee that Proposition 68 is a smart investment in California that will benefit all of us:

The Golden State’s incredible natural treasures are woven into our identity as Californians. And that is why we always react with such outrage when these treasures are threatened by things like oil spills, development and habitat destruction.

But there is another threat that doesn’t get a lot of headlines, but is no less devastating: lack of funding. Not only does this contribute to the slow deterioration of parks and open space, but it divides our populace into those that have access to nature and those that don’t. The result is that huge swaths of Californians don’t reap the many benefits of the outdoors, and don’t form the bond with nature that drives so many of us to protect the environment.