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16 <br /> September 2012 Attachment 8 <br /> County staff are working in collaboration with the State Trails Program (a section of the NC Division of <br /> Parks and Recreation), Eno River State Park, the Town of Hillsborough, the Friends of Mountains-to-Sea <br /> Trail (FMST), and others to develop specific plans for the MST in Orange County—thereby transitioning <br /> the trail planning corridor to an actual "trail alignment." The initial focus has been on determining the <br /> trail alignment through the County's Seven Mile Creek Preserve and linking the Preserve with <br /> Occoneechee Mountain and the Hillsborough Riverwalk. A secondary focus is working with the Orange <br /> Water and Sewer Authority(OWASA)to identify a potential trail alignment through OWASA's Cane <br /> Creek Reservoir lands in the southwestern part of the county, and then linking the Reservoir lands with <br /> the Alamance County section of the MST along the Haw River. <br /> Are there any sections of the MST already completed and open in Orange County? <br /> Yes. Sections of the MST are open in Hillsborough within River Park and Gold Park. East of Hillsborough, <br /> there are designated sections of the MST open in Eno River State Park. Finally, a section of the MST was <br /> also recently completed (although not yet dedicated) east of the Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail <br /> on lands owned by Classical American Homes Preservation Trust. <br /> Will the Trail be located on public or private property? <br /> Several initial sections of the MST in Orange County will be constructed on public land, including Eno <br /> River State Park, Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough's Riverwalk, and Orange <br /> County's Seven Mile Creek Preserve. Other sections may be on privately-owned land where the owner <br /> has granted a trail easement. For example, a section of MST near Hillsborough was constructed on a <br /> trail easement granted by Classical American Homes Preservation Trust to State of North Carolina. <br /> Is it true that trail planners trespassed on private property while marking the future Trail? <br /> No. Trail planners have been very careful to stay off all private property unless invited by the <br /> landowners. Earlier, some people said they had found survey flagging on their property, but they have <br /> since agreed that the flagging was on the adjacent property or along their property boundary. If persons <br /> were on private lands for MST purposes, it was unauthorized and unknown to any of the MST partners. <br /> Will there be any condemnation (or"taking")of private land for the Trail? <br /> No. All lands for the future MST in Orange County will be acquired through voluntary means. <br /> Who will build the Trail? <br /> In Orange County, the MST will be planned, constructed, managed and maintain by partnerships <br /> involving local governments, land trusts, private landowners, local citizens, the NC Division of Parks and <br /> Recreation, and Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. <br /> Overall, the MST is an official part of the State Parks system, however due to its statewide expanse, <br /> many segments of the trail are managed by different agencies and local governments. Local <br /> communities help connect the trail through links to greenways and urban trails. Land trusts and other <br /> interested parties help acquire land using a combination of public and private funds. The Friends of the <br /> Mountains-to-Sea Trail organization provides volunteers, public support, and serves as a clearinghouse <br /> for trail information. <br /> How is the Trail marked? <br /> The blaze designating the NC Mountains-to-Sea Trail is a white circle approximately three inches in <br /> diameter. This mark is sometimes used in conjunction with other trail blazes if the trails overlap. <br /> 2 <br />