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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 />and staff recommend that this new amenity be located in the wooded area in the <br />northwestern corner of the park, and in the open meadow that adjoins it to the <br />east. The Master Plan revision in early 2018 would reflect the course boundaries. <br />The exact layout of the course would be created by an informal working group of <br />staff and disc golf organization representatives in the winter and spring of 2018. <br /> <br />Discovery Trail <br />Over the past two years, the Assistant Parks Superintendent and the Resource <br />Program Support Coordinator with Soil and Water Conservation have worked on <br />a Discovery Trail to be located near the current trailhead on the eastern edge of <br />the property. Grant funds and other donations have enabled a local high school <br />artist to develop a series of signs on environmental education for this trail, with <br />an orientation toward K-8 grades. The trail will offer learning opportunity stations <br />and signage will help children explore the many and varied wildlife of the N.C. <br />Piedmont. A mockup of one of the planned signs is provided as Attachment 2. <br /> <br />3. Investigation of Maintenance and Management of Former Hay Fields <br /> <br />As instructed by the Board, staff met with representatives of the agricultural <br />community and the staffs from Cooperative Extension and Soil and Water <br />Conservation to explore whether there is a viable alternative to using a tractor <br />and attachment (included in the current year capital project funding) to <br />periodically clear the former hay fields – including the scenic vista portion of the <br />property from New Hope Church Road north toward the farmstead. Staff was <br />asked to explore the possibility of animal / livestock in this capacity. <br /> <br />After several meetings and discussions, it is staff’s recommendation that one of <br />two options (or a combination of the two) be pursued: <br /> <br />a) Putting the fields not used by the park (including the vista) back into hay <br />production; and/or <br />b) Using prescribed burns in certain portions of the park to create wildflower <br />meadows or “Piedmont Prairie.” <br /> <br />Staff looked at both goats and cattle grazing as an option for maintaining the hay <br />fields. While the use of goats in parks is becoming a viable and popular option for <br />eliminating unwanted vegetation, goats are better suited to shrubs and vegetative <br />cover as opposed to grasslands. Goats also tend to be used most often for <br />smaller areas, such as clearing old playground areas (as recently done in <br />Durham). <br /> <br />Grazing of beef cattle was another option explored, and the County has an <br />existing arrangement with an adjoining farmer on the future Northeast District <br />Park site for grazing of beef cattle. However, that site is an expansion of grazing <br />land for existing cattle located on adjoining land, which already has adequate <br />10