Bolin Creek
Via the Town via my neighborhood listserve:
Speak Out Against Paving Bolin Creek!
On Monday, March 15th at 6:30 p.m. in room 110 of the Carrboro Town Hall the Carrboro Greenways Commission is meeting to decide if they are going to accept the Greenways, Inc. proposal for paving the Bolin Creek Greenway. Please come and show that you do not agree with their plan!
There is a good opinion piece here
http://www.chapelhillnews.com/2010/03/14/55677/reject-greenway-consultan...
But I also want to point out that "Greenways for Wildlife" at NC State found that
# Percent coverage of managed area within the greenway, such as trail and other mowed or maintained surfaces, was a predictor for all but total bird abundance. Abundance and richness of development-sensitive species (neotropical migrant, insectivore, and forest-interior birds) were lowest in greenways containing more managed area.
Why stop a consultant’s recommendation to spend $3 million of taxpayers’ funds to put cement next to Bolin Creek?
This portion of Bolin Creek between Estes and Homestead is unique because it encompasses 400+ acres of assets that include a natural creek, wildflowers such as the coneflower, and wildlife such as coyotes, salamanders, heron and woodpeckers. The Adams Tract was acquired by Carrboro and the County for preservation four years ago. Next to this gorgeous forest sits the P.H. Craig tract, as yet unprotected, and finally the 300 acres of UNC property that will be protected by contract under the recently signed Development Agreement.
All together these intact woods are of immense beauty and significance, as noted by the Inventory of Significant Natural Areas of Orange County. A scientific baseline, moreover, was established by the Eco System Enhancement Program Local Watershed Plan for Little Creek (which includes Bolin Creek).
It's been interesting to see the increasing heat in the debate about the proposed Carrboro section of the Bolin Creek Greenway. It seems to have created a public rift in the group Friends of Bolin Creek, leading to the apparent self-demotion of one of it's co-chairs. Dave Otto was still a co-chair when he wrote "A case for a concrete greenway" in the Chapel Hill News on January 10th, but Julie McClintock was the sole leader by the time her response "The case for keeping Bolin Creek natural" was published on January 17th.
"I do not think it is in the best interest of the Friends of Bolin
Creek for the leadership to be split in this way," Otto said in his
announcement. "I am therefore stepping back to permit the group to
speak with a more unified voice." He will serve instead as vice-chair.
- Chapel Hill News: To pave or not to pave?, 1/24/09
statement from Dave Otto, Friends of Bolin Creek:
Most of you know Mark
Chilton as Mayor; some of you know him as the owner of Community
Realty; and others know him as an enthusiastic old mill buff. Mayor
Chilton's contributions to the community and to the Friends of Bolin
Creek result from this unique blend of skills, experience and passion!
Let me give you an
example. The foundation of an old mill is located a few hundred yards
upstream of Spring Valley. Years ago friends told me that it had been
built by Buck Taylor, who was the first steward of the University in
1795. Buck Taylor was a colorful rascal said to have been buried
standing upright with a jug of whiskey in each hand. I enjoyed telling
the legend of Buck Taylor, but was frustrated that we could not
document the story.
My husband and I take turns running with our dogs in the woods on Seawell School Road, either on the Bolin Creek side or the Carolina North side. Yesterday we noticed that NO TRESPASSING signs have appeard on the Bolin Creek side. We requested more information via the contact information on the signs, and here is what we found out:
From BolinCreek.org:
The 5th
Annual Bolin Creek Festival will be from 11am-5pm, October 4th at
Umstead Park in Chapel Hill. Featuring local artist Dale Morgan, music
by Club Boheme, Skeedaddle, Project Mastana—passionate Bollywood dance
music, and rhythm circles by the Music Explorium. Special activities
for children will include the introduction to stream critters and the
popular Enviroscape by the Chapel Hill Stormwater Office.
Date:
Saturday, October 4, 2008 - 7:00am to 1:00pm
Location:
Umstead Park, Chapel Hill
You may remember last fall when I moved about 1/2 a mile north from my old home downtown and suddenly found myself feeling like I was miles away from town. For the thousand or so people like me who live near Umstead Drive, Village Drive, and Estes Drive Extension, the only way to walk downtown involves a 2-mile hike up MLK Boulevard or a cut through the woods around Estes Park Apartments to Pleasant Drive in Carrboro.
Well, the Town of Chapel Hill was two steps ahead of me and was already planning an extension of the Bolin Creek Greenway that would connect Umstead Park and our neighborhood to Northside (which is just across the creek), the future Carolina North campus, and MLK Blvd. Importantly, this extension will also connect my old neighbors in Northside to University Mall (the Greenway's eastern terminus).
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