6-a - Approval of Planned Mountains to Sea Trail Route Through Orange County

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November 2016 2 Where will the Trail go through Orange County? The MST planning corridor through Orange County (from west to east) begins at the Haw River in the far southwest corner of the county, then parallels Cane Creek to the northeast through OWASA’s Cane Creek Reservoir lands, then further northeast through the Seven Mile Creek Preserve and Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area. From Occoneechee Mountain the trail will follow the Eno River along Hillsborough’s Riverwalk and through land owned by Classical American Homes Preservation Trust and Eno River State Park into Durham County. The MST State Trail master plan identifies the portions of the planned trail through Orange County as Segment 11 and Segment 12. Maps of the MST planning corridor across Orange County are available at: http://www.orangecountync.gov/document_center/DEAPR/MST_thru_Orange_Co.pdf http://www.ncmountainstosea.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Seg_11_7-10-15.pdf http://www.ncmountainstosea.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Seg_12_7-10-15.pdf Are there any sections of the MST already completed and open in Orange County? Yes. Sections of the MST are open in Hillsborough along the Riverwalk and eastward to the Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail. Another 1.5-mile section of the MST (although not yet formally designated) is completed east of the Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail on private lands owned by Classical American Homes Preservation Trust. Further east of Hillsborough, there are designated sections of the MST open in Eno River State Park. Will the Trail be located on public or private property? Several initial sections of the MST in Orange County will be constructed on public land, including Eno River State Park, Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough’s Riverwalk, and Orange County’s Seven Mile Creek Preserve. Other sections will be on privately-owned land where the owner has granted a trail easement. For example, a section of MST near Hillsborough was constructed on a trail easement granted by Classical American Homes Preservation Trust to State of North Carolina. What is OWASA’s position regarding the use of the OWASA land for the MST? On August 25, 2016 the OWASA Board of Directors adopted a resolution approving conditions for use of the OWASA land for the MST. For more information see the following: (http://www.owasa.org/owasa-board-approves-conditions-for-mountains-to-sea-trail-on-owasa-land-near-cane-creek-reservoir). Is it true that trail planners trespassed on private property while marking the future Trail? No. Trail planners have been very careful to stay off all private property unless invited by the landowners. Earlier, some people said they had found survey flagging on their property, but they have since agreed that the flagging was on the adjacent property or along their property boundary. If persons were on private lands for MST purposes, it was unauthorized and unknown to any of the MST partners. Will there be any condemnation (or “taking”) of private land for the Trail? No. All lands for the future MST in Orange County will be acquired through voluntary means. Who will build the Trail? In Orange County, the MST will be planned, constructed, managed and maintained by partnerships involving local governments, land trusts, private landowners, local citizens, the NC Division of Parks and Recreation, and Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. 9