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Orange County Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation <br />PO Box 8181, Hillsborough, NC 27278 <br />Phone: (919) 245-2510 <br />Fax: (919) 644-3351 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Note: Securing the land for the trail is a voluntary process. The County will <br />work only with willing landowners to secure trail easements for the portion <br />of the MST that would be on private property. No land will be acquired <br />against a landowner’s will for the trail. Because of this, it is expected that <br />some portions of the trail may take years to complete, and it is possible <br />that the actual trail location may shift over time depending on the interests <br />of landowners along the route, and that in the interim period, hikers will <br />need to use public road rights-of-way to connect to existing segments of <br />the trail, as is the case in some other parts of the state. <br /> <br />After the 16 months of trail planning and community meetings, the portion of the <br />MST that Orange County is responsible for securing is proposed (as shown on <br />the map) to head southwest from Occoneechee Mountain, crossing I-40/85 and <br />entering the County’s Seven Mile Creek Nature Preserve lands. From there, the <br />proposed trail continues southwest to the headwaters of Cane Creek, and <br />continues onward to the Cane Creek Reservoir area (on lands owned by the <br />Orange Water and Sewer Authority or OWASA). OWASA approved the trail <br />being located on its lands with a set of conditions in 2017. The proposed trail <br />finally would run alongside of NC 54 to the Oaks crossroads, where it will enter <br />Alamance County and head to Saxapahaw. <br /> <br />If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me (919-245-2522, <br />dstancil@orangecountync.gov) or Kim Livingston (919-245-2514, <br />klivingston@orangecountync.gov). <br /> <br />I have attached two pieces of information – the map showing the MST Proposed <br />Trail route, and a “Frequently Asked Questions” (or FAQ) sheet that includes <br />some pictures showing what the MST looks like in other parts of the state. <br /> <br />Sincerely, <br /> <br /> <br />David Stancil, Director <br />Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation <br /> <br /> <br />Note: Most of our correspondence on this project has been provided via email. <br />This also enables us to send color versions of documents and maps (such as the <br />one included here). If you are not on our MST email list and you would like to be, <br />please send an email to lthecht@orangecountync.gov with the subject line: “Add <br />to MST List” <br />16