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11 <br /> 5) Does the Board agree with focusing initial efforts in the vicinity of the <br /> County's Seven Mile Creek Preserve? <br /> If the Board sees the MST as a priority, staff feels that the Seven Mile Creek <br /> Preserve may be a fitting place to start. Focusing initial attention on the MST <br /> segment in the Seven Mile Creek portion of the Upper Eno Watershed is suggested <br /> for several reasons: <br /> a) The County already owns nearly 300 acres for the Seven Mile Creek Preserve, <br /> and the planned MST corridor would travel through that property. <br /> b) ERCD is in contact with four landowners who are interested in selling or <br /> donating land for the Preserve. Three are key properties adjacent to County- <br /> owned land, and one of these priorities has been negotiated and is planned for <br /> the October 20 Board agenda. <br /> c) State funds for land acquisition are likely to be earmarked for Orange County <br /> once the state budget situation improves. State Parks staff has indicated a <br /> preference for the Seven Mile Creek area because the County has already <br /> acquired land in that area and is within reach of other public lands. <br /> d) As noted in the budget service reduction materials from last spring, while a lull in <br /> park master planning is anticipated during 2009-10, staff did anticipate the need <br /> to begin at least internal efforts toward developing a master plan for Seven Mile <br /> Creek Preserve, which would identify recommended future boundaries, access <br /> points, recreation sites, natural and historical points of interest, and the future <br /> MST corridor. <br /> Finally, as has been noted in previous Lands Legacy Action Plans, the Seven Mile <br /> Creek Preserve, when viewed in the larger context of preservation in the Neuse <br /> (Falls Lake) basin, offers an opportunity as a gateway for linking conservation areas <br /> to the north, potentially expanding the formal conservation of land northward along <br /> the Eno River to include several existing permanent conservation "nodes." <br /> ERCD staff will be available to answer questions and to provide additional information about <br /> these issues at the October 13 work session. <br /> 4 <br />