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142 <br />is provided in Appendix E. The timeline shown on Page 3 charts key public hearings, <br />stakeholder meetings, separate departmental meetings and county correspondence <br />regarding the MTP process since March 2002. <br />Why Do the Plan? <br />Within the County are important natural and cultural resources that telecommunication <br />facilities may negatively and irreparably impact. Planners can use the County <br />Environmental Impact Ordinance to identify such resources after the fact during the <br />review of an application for a telecommunication tower special use permit; or the <br />planning staff can give landowners, the general public and telecommunication industry <br />representatives MTP information in advance of the application process that will guide <br />and influence the potential siting of communication facilities. <br />The MTP will help identify public lands not appropriate for tower sites. Such public <br />lands may include Orange County Nature Preserves, the Little River Regional Park, New <br />Hope Park, Lake Orange, and the Eno River State Park. Other public and private lands <br />are identified that may also be inappropriate as tower sites, such as natural areas and <br />wildlife corridors, lands under conservation easements, prime forest and agricultural <br />lands, cultural and historic sites and lands adjoining scenic corridors. <br />The MTP includes existing towers, tower sites in neighboring counties, two -mile buffer <br />around each tower, major electric power transmission lines, County - defined Natural <br />Areas, historic properties, properties with archaeological potential, scenic corridors, <br />known bird migration patterns through the County, Voluntary Agricultural Districts, and <br />publicly -owned or quasi - public lands. The MTP contains specific information <br />concerning the mitigation of potential dangers to migratory birds. <br />However, there are a number of public and private lands identified in the MTP that could <br />make acceptable tower sites, such as fire halls, community centers, OWASA properties, <br />certain county parks and possibly some school sites, together with private lands in certain <br />portions of Duke Forest and voluntary agricultural districts represent possible future sites <br />for collocated telecommunication facilities. <br />Using two -mile buffers around the existing tower sites,'and by locating major electric <br />power transmission lines, possible antenna co- location sites are plotted in the MTP. The <br />displayed buffer areas also help identify regions of the County where communications <br />facilities may not exist. <br />The purpose of the MTP is to identify properties within the County where wireless <br />telecommunications providers are encouraged to research prior to submittal of an <br />2 <br />