The many license plates of NJ

The DEP is making a push in New Jersey to have more people pay extra for a Shore To Please license plate. The $50 purchase fee and $10 renewal cost provide for the Coastal Protection Trust Fund which helps keep the Jersey Shore clean and beautiful. But the money brought in from these plates is decreasing, probably due to competition from so many other plate options. More on that in a second.

In 2011 over $700,000 was raised by the Shore To Please plates but by 2017 it was down to $573,000. So this summer the DEP is going to be raising interest by having banner planes fly up and down the coast advertising the plate availability. It will instruct people to go to njbeaches.org to get theirs.

As far at those other plate options? There are many plates for many causes in New Jersey. Here they are with what MVC says they represent.

Organ Donor plates
This license plate benefits the Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Education Fund, which educates the public about becoming an organ donor.

Animal Friendly plates
Proceeds from the sale of these plates will help fund the animal population control program run by the Department of Health.

Conquer Cancer plates
Proceeds from the sale of this plate and its annual $10 renewal fee support innovative cancer research projects right here in New Jersey.

Law Enforcement Memorial plates
Administered by the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, the program will benefit qualified children of slain officers for undergraduate study at any public or private institution. (When I saw this one I thought if there were ever a plate I would pay extra for it is this.)

Agriculture plates
Helps advertise and promote farming in New Jersey.

Meadowlands plates
You can do your part to save the Meadowlands by ordering this special license plate and proclaim your support of preservation to the world. (Could it do something about that American Dream monstrosity?)

Deborah Heart & Lung plates
This plate supports the Deborah Heart and Lung Center which gives the highest quality medical and surgical care to patients with heart and lung disease and children with congenital and acquired heart disease. (A friend of my grandmother's was treated here. Great facility.)

Liberty State Park plates
When you purchase these new plates, you are celebrating and supporting the re-creation of this area into a modern park with a world-class science center, 60-acre nature area and swimming, tennis, boating and fishing facilities.

Treasure Our Trees plates
The purchase of a this license plate helps fund New Jersey's Shade Tree and Community Forest Program.
Proceeds from the sale of these beautiful plates will fund tree planting projects, improve wildlife habitats, promote clean air and water, reduce energy costs, fund hometown beautification projects and educate the citizens on the importance of trees, forests and their role in the maintenance of a clean and healthy environment. (Yes Lorax, you want one.)

Pinelands plates
A million-acre landscape crisscrossed by winding streams and rivers with the purest drinking water available needs your support. If you purchase the Pinelands license plates for your vehicle, you will help immensely, as these funds will help acquire land for the Pinelands National Reserve and protect its delicate natural balance.

United We Stand plates
These license plates will benefit the Rewards for Justice Program which provides reward money for information that leads to the capture of terrorists and terrorist plots.

Discover NJ History plates
Buy the new plates and remind residents of New Jersey's historic preservation efforts. Proceeds from the sale of these plates go into the Historic License Plate Preservation Fund to save priceless historic buildings, artifacts and documents.

Baymen's Heritage plates
Revenue from the Baymen's plates supports the Barnegat Bay Decoy and Baymen's Museum and the future Tuckerton Seaport Project in Ocean County. The planned 28-building Maritime Cultural Village will be dedicated to interpreting and preserving this priceless piece of New Jersey heritage.

USS New Jersey Battleship plates
Your purchase of this special plate will help maintain the historic USS New Jersey (BB-62) to serve as a museum in this famous battleship's retirement.

Olympic Spirit plates
Show your colors and support our Olympic athletes by displaying the Olympic license plate.
Half the proceeds from the sale of the plate will go to support amateur sports in New Jersey through a non-profit agency, the Garden State Games. The other half will go directly to the U.S. Olympic movement.

Conserve Wildlife plates
More than 80% of your payment goes directly toward preserving our state's endangered wildlife.

In addition to all these specialty plates, there are sports plates to rep your team, organizational plates and personalized plates colloquially known as vanity plates. I might buy one of these but I'm CASH-LOW.

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