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Metro wants voters to ante up for nature.

Metro Council on Tuesday agreed unanimously to put a five-year local option levy for natural areas before voters in May 2013. The levy would provide money for restoration of the region鈥檚 natural areas, fish habitats and mountain parks.

The proposed levy would charge 9.6 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property. A $200,000 home would incur a $20 fee; in total, the levy would raise $10 million annually.

Metro is the region鈥檚 largest owner of public space.

With help from a $135.6 million bond measure that passed in 1995, and a $227 million bond measure that passed in 2006, Metro has acquired more than 12,000 acres over the past two decades. Today, it has more than 16,000 total acres, including more than 100 miles of stream and river frontage, wetlands, prairies and forests.

But the bond money has not paid for maintenance of the land.

鈥淭hrough that 20 years, there has been no new funding dedicated to take care of this property,鈥� said Jim Desmond, director of Metro鈥檚 Sustainability Center. 鈥淲e have been able to do it through our existing resources, but due to continued increases in acquisition along with declines in Metro鈥檚 general fund because of economic conditions 鈥� we can鈥檛 sustain managing these properties over the long haul without some additional funding.鈥�

Desmond said making the improvements now will be cheaper than 20 years down the road 鈥� removing invasive ivy and weeds will become more difficult and costly. The new levy also would help Metro replace aging facilities at some of its parks.

In addition, the levy would help Metro expand its environmental education and volunteer programs designed to increase public stewardship. Lastly, approximately $750,000 a year would go toward the Nature in Neighborhoods Restoration and Enhancement grant, which provides money to local organizations seeking to perform restoration in natural areas. Desmond said that without the levy no clear funding source exists for that program to continue.

More than 1.3 million people visit Metro鈥檚 natural areas each year.

鈥淭he point is that the public has invested in these places,鈥� Desmond said, 鈥渁nd the thought process behind this is to restore these and manage these investments so that they can yield the maximum benefits for water quality, fish and people.鈥�