Agenda - 10-13-2009 - 2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Attachment 6 (o~ r -y~ f ,/: ~rzenc~s of~yyth~ yp~y ygy~ September 9, 2009 TO: Dave Stanch and Rich Shaw Orange County Environment & Resource Conservation Department FROM: Kate Dixon Executive Director 919-698-9024; kdixon@ncrost.org RE: Volunteer Assistance with Construction and Maintenance of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST Thank you fox your interest in North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST). More than half of the 1000-mile trail is now complete in other parts of the state, and FMST members and volunteers axe eager to help build and maintain Orange County's section of the trail. The proposed route in Orange County starts on the Haw River at the Alamance County border, follows Cane Creek through the OWASA Reservoir, cuts overland through the Seven-Mile Creek area and onto Hillsborough's Riverwalk, and then runs down the Eno River to Durham County. When complete this beautiful route will introduce hikers to some of Orange County's most special places. Progress on the MST in and around Orange C~ Important progress is already being made on several sections of the proposed route. Alamance County has been working hard to acquire land on the Haw River for its portion of the trail. Hillsborough is also making great progress with its Riverwalk. FMST is starting trail construction in the Eno River State Paxk. Further downstream on Falls Lake, FMST has completed 46 miles of trail, and Raleigh and Wake County have pledged to build an additional 26 miles of trail on the Neuse River by 2012. If Orange County jumps on board, we could have well more than 100 miles of the MST complete in the Triangle in four or five years. Actions Needed Promote the Trail in Orange County We hope that the Orange County Board of Commissioners will take several actions to support the trail: 1. endorse the proposed route through the County 2. incorporate the trail route into the county's land use plan so that land will be set aside for the trail if land is developed