JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri voters will decide this fall whether to extend a sales tax that funds state parks and conservation projects.

Gov. Jay Nixon announced Monday that the one-tenth cent parks, soils and water sales tax will appear on the November ballot. The tax is written into the state constitution, but voters must reauthorize it every 10 years. Voters first approved the tax in 1984.

About three-quarters of the state parks system’s funding comes from the tax, and it also pays for soil and water conservation projects. The state has approved $348 million in conservation grants since the tax was reapproved in 2006. Officials say those projects have prevented more than 177 million tons of soil erosion into streams, rivers and lakes.