Green Newton is urging residents to vote yes on Question 6, a statewide ballot measure that would funnel up to $100 million a year into water and land conservation without raising taxes.

The Newton environmental nonprofit published its endorsement over the weekend of Sept. 26, joining what it described as a coalition of more than 90 organizations supporting the initiative ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The Amherst Indy reported that more than 100 organizations across Massachusetts have endorsed the measure, including Newton Conservators.

Question 6 would create a Nature for All Fund by dedicating the standard state sales tax already collected on sporting goods — items like camping gear, golf clubs and fishing equipment — to conservation. The measure does not impose a new tax. Green Newton said the fund could support local priorities such as improving neighborhood parks or creating new walking trails.

A public oversight board would approve all expenditures, and the measure requires annual public reporting, according to Green Newton's endorsement.

The organization cited Virginia, Georgia and Texas as states that have used a similar sporting-goods sales tax model to direct hundreds of millions of dollars toward parks and natural resources.

Green Newton said the measure is urgent because federal conservation funding is under threat and climate change is accelerating damage to watersheds. The coalition behind Question 6 collected more than 122,000 signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot, according to Fig City News.

No organized opposition to Question 6 appears in public records as of publication.

The endorsement follows a rally at Hammond Pond Reservation in Newton on Aug. 30, where Gov. Maura Healey and conservation leaders made the case for the measure. Emily Norton, executive director of the Charles River Watershed Association and a former Newton city councilor, spoke at the event.

"You cannot protect the Charles River without protecting the watershed lands around it," Norton said at the Aug. 30 rally, as reported by Fig City News.

Norton noted that Hammond Pond Reservation, along with Webster Woods and Houghton Garden, forms a roughly 230-acre area, the largest conservation area in Newton. It contains wetlands, ponds, vernal pools and wildlife habitat.

The Newton Beacon reported that the rally drew leaders from the Charles River Watershed Association, Massachusetts Audubon, the Trustees of Reservations and the Conservation Law Foundation, along with city and state officials.

Upcoming

Election Day is Nov. 3. Residents can learn more about Question 6 at natureforma.org or contact Green Newton at [email protected].