2026-072-E-County Mgr-Urban Sustainability Solutions-High School Riparian Buffers

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Section C. Project Information C1a. Project Name (This will be used as the name of your submission; please keep your project name to less than 5 words. Examples: Tree Planting, LED Lights, Rain Garden, Rooftop Solar) High-School Students Installing Riparian Buffers C1b. Please describe the proposed project. (300 word limit) USS plans to train teachers and Orange County youth through afterschool and weekend programs in certified green infrastructure curricula. The program will conclude with the planting of tree seedlings and other native vegetation to restore riparian buffers, especially those damaged by tropical storm Chantal. The 2026-27 OCCCA funds that USS is seeking will cover stipends for teacher and student training and implementation. Their field work will include stream cleanup, restoring riparian buffers, and planting live tree stakes on stream banks to stabilize the soil. In addition to OCCCA funds, another $220,000 from outside sources will pay for installation materials, equipment and contractor services. In 2024 and 2025, using OCCCA, EPA, and other funding, USS trained 23 Orange County teachers and 117 students to install 39 best stormwater management practices on 14 properties of landowners and greenspaces in the Bolin Creek W atershed. In 2026-27, USS will broaden its work to lower Bolin Creek and Chapel Hill, where most flooding from tropical storm Chantal occurred, as well as the upper section of Bolin Creek. USS has secured 319 NPS funding to install these additional practices along Bolin Creek. C1c. Please describe your project’s benefits, including those that are quantifiable. (150 word limit) Providing urgently needed vegetation restoration to low-lying areas in Orange County damaged by tropical storm Chantal, including 1100 native tree seedlings per acre, which will: 1) Hold the soil in place and minimize similar damage from big storm events likely to occur in the future, and therefore: 2) Reduce erosion on properties located downstream, where low-income residents have historically lived; 3) Prevent sediment buildup and pollution in Bolin Creek, which is deemed federally impaired in not meeting water quality standards; 4) Naturally filter E. coli, nitrogen, phosphorous and other pollutants from the stormwater before it enters Bolin Creek, rendering the waterway safe for wildlife, recreation, and fishing; 5) Increase plant and wildlife biodiversity in the Bolin Creek W atershed, including native pollinators; 6) Improve carbon capture and reduce greenhouse gases; 7) Prevent further contamination of Jordan Lake, a drinking water source for Orange County and the Triangle. C1d. Please choose the best description for the type of project*: Nature-Based Solutions C1e. W hat is the main way that this project helps fight climate change? (select one): Other (Please describe) Please describe how this project helps fight climate change. (100 word limit) This project combats climate change through *carbon sequestration* provided by the trees and native vegetation planted. Perhaps more importantly, the trees and plants in the riparian buffers USS installs will boost the resilience of the entire Bolin Creek watershed against the increasing intensity of storm events that continue to erode this waterway, destroy carbon- sequestering trees, and pollute a major drinking source (Jordan Lake). C1f. Please select the jurisdiction(s) where your project is focused and briefly state how your project aligns with the relevant Climate Action Plans: Town of Carrboro/Town of Carrboro Community Climate Action Plan Town of Chapel Hill/Town of Chapel Hill Climate Action and Response Plan Orange County/Orange County Climate Action Plan Please name the action items from the Carrboro Climate Action Plan that best align with your proposed project. (200 word limit) “to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while raising the community’s awareness of and involvement in solutions to global climate change and a post-carbon energy future, adaptation to changes, and enhancement of ecosystem resilience.” Recommendations focus on themes like “community integration” and “ecosystem protection and restoration”, among others. Besides climate change mitigation, Carrboro's plan aims for results such as “financial savings, the creation of new jobs, improved air quality and public health, and healthier forests and streams.” Our program addresses all of these. Please name the action items from the Chapel Hill Climate Action Plan that best align with your proposed project. (200 word limit) 1) “Protect Water Quality, Natural and Agricultural Resources,” including: * “Public and Environmental Health: improved water quality;“ * “Racial Equity and Environmental Justice: reduced flooding risk from stormwater management;” * “Job Creation: jobs for environmental management” (teachers and students); * “Resilience to Climate Impacts: increased ecosystem and habitat resilience; and reduced flooding risk;” * “Regional Partnerships: potential for regional conservation efforts.” (USS currently works in both Orange County and the City of Raleigh, with plans to expand to other municipalities/counties as human and financial resources increase.) 2) “Enhance Green Infrastructure” 3) “Expand Climate Action Education, Outreach, and Awareness” 4) “Grow Partnerships, Funding and Incentives” 5) “Broaden Community-wide Resilience and Recovery Actions” Docusign Envelope ID: FE98AD8C-2A26-4FC1-9B3F-6DEB6E3A41EE