Spring 2001

Celebrate National Trails Day June 3rd

Yes, once again National Trails Day (NTD) is almost here.  This year we will celebrate on June 3, 2000!  This is an excellent opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts to get outside and get involved. 

Currently the Triangle Greenways Council (TGC) is in contact with other volunteer trail clubs, organizations, and state parks in the Triangle Region.  Our role this year will be to assist with coordination between volunteers and the NTD projects and activities on June 3rd.    

This year’s focus is “Service to our State Parks”.  On NTD, you can help build trails, attend educational sessions, or just go for a walk or ride on a local trail.   Durham plans to celebrate the opening of a section of the American Tobacco Trail, a mountain biking trail near Falls Lake will be recruiting volunteers, and other local parks will hold events for trail enthusiasts in the Triangle.

Check your local paper in the weeks preceding June 3rd for scheduled events in your area. The American Hiking Society and TGC will also have all of the events listed on their websites. 

For more information, contact Jeff D. Brewer, Triangle NTD Coordinator at 845-3037 or jdbrewer@intrex.net.

The Triangle Greenways Council in 2000

A new millennium brings changes to TGC, including a new president, Robert Harper.  Robert is a Raleigh doctor who is Chair of the Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Greenways Advisory Board, a member of the Triangle Open Space Network Steering Committee, and the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce’s Anti-Sprawl Task Force.

Through his leadership, TGC hopes to accomplish some fantastic things this year.  During our winter retreat, TGC Board members agreed to focus the group’s attention on four major areas in 2000:

Structure- there are now seven ‘active’ committees: Executive, Nomination, Legal, Land Trust, Projects, Membership, and Finance.

Membership:  This new newsletter format, continued improvement of our web site  and transitioning toward on-line communication to reach members in a more timely manner (and to save trees) are some of the changes this Committee is working on.  If you would like to help, contact Kristine Olka at Olkak@yahoo.com.

Projects:  We need volunteers to help with our ongoing trail and greenway projects.  If you are interested in helping with any of the projects listed on the next page, contact Sig Hutchinson at SigHutch@aol.com to become part of the Projects Committee. 

 Executive Director:  We hope to fill an Executive Director position by the fall, to make TGC a more effective and visible organization.

There is clearly more to do this year than the TGC Board can accomplish alone.  We need your help. We want your input. 

And we truly appreciate any assistance you can provide.  Visit our web site to learn more (www.trianglegreenways.org), and stay tuned for more details on the activities and accomplishments of the Triangle Greenways Council in 2000.

Help Us Work on the Trails!

This spring, there are many opportunities for you to come out and help the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) at Falls Lake in North Raleigh.  The Triangle Greenways Council along with the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail will host workdays on:

April 8 - Spring Trails Day

June 3 – National Trails Day

 All trail workdays start at 9:00am at the Upper Barton Boat Ramp off Six Forks Road.  Please check out our website for more information or call Jeff Brewer at 919-845-3037. 

Is It Time to Renew Your Membership?

TGC doesn’t send out membership renewal notices, so if you think it’s time to renew, it probably is. If you would like to continue to receive this newsletter and to support greenway efforts in the Triangle, please send TGC your annual dues today.

What’s Happening in the Triangle

Raleigh

House Creek -- Representatives from the NC Museum of Art,  NC Cultural Resource, Meredith College, The City of Raleigh, Triangle Greenways Council, and the Hillsboro Renovation Project have formed a coalition to develop a greenway corridor that connects the Museum of Art (across I-440) to Meredith College and the City of Raleigh.  This coalition is applying for federal transportation dollars (TEA-21) to help build this greenway corridor, which would also connect Hillsborough Street, Crabtree Valley Mall, the Capital, NC State University, high schools in the area and neighborhoods. The coalition plans to submit the application for funding to NC Dept. of Transportation by June.

Quarry Plan – TGC has been facilitating discussions among various groups about developing a greenway along Crabtree Creek in the vicinity of the Hanson Quarry off of Duraleigh Road.  Initiatives are being developed to work with affected stakeholders, including the City of Raleigh, Hanson Aggregate, neighborhood groups, and the Umstead Coalition, to reach consensus on this effort to provide recreation opportunities and flood control in the area.

Neuse River Greenway – The City of Raleigh is actively seeking to acquire land along the Neuse River to complete a greenway from the Falls Lake Dam to Poole Road.

Cary

Plans are currently underway to complete the Cary greenway network from Umstead Park to the American Tobacco Trail.  These plans are currently being developed and, with Cary’s new $15 million initiative for Open Space, funding for this and other greenway efforts could be a possibility.

Chatham County

Chatham County recently adopted a Parks and Recreation Master Plan that identifies potential trails and greenways across the County. Volunteer groups, including the Triangle Rails to Trails Conservancy and the Chatham County Trails Committee (CCTC), are working with the County, and have identified the Chatham County portion of the American Tobacco Trail as a potential pilot project of the plan. Now, our challenge is to identify funding sources for planning, developing, and maintaining the trail.

The CCTC held a first-of-its-kind meeting in March with several individuals and groups interested in trail projects in the County. The CCTC also held a successful trail work day at the Weaver Creek Trail, with nearly 20 people clearing trees and re-painting blazes.

American Tobacco Trail

The American Tobacco Trail is a proposed 26-mile rails to trails conversion stretching from the City of Durham to Bonsal, NC.  Triangle Greenways Council considers this corridor the “backbone” of the Circle the Triangle plan and have been actively supporting its completion in Wake, Durham, and Chatham Counties.  Wake County has approved the ATT in principle, and Chatham County is aware of the project, but either have yet to fund its construction. 

On National Trails Day, the first part of the ATT will be dedicated in Durham!

Wake Forest

Wake Forest Greenway Plan - Wake Forest is seeking funding for a Greenway Study to find ways to connect the Town to the Raleigh greenway system and the Neuse River Corridor

RTP

Plans are currently underway to build a coalition of organizations to lobby the Governor for bicycle improvements to three roads leading into RTP: Cornwallis Drive, Davis Drive and Alexander Drive.  These improvements were recommended in a recent study (headed by NCDOT and the Governor) to significantly decrease traffic and air pollution in the Triangle, while improving recreational opportunities for cyclists.  Retrofitting these roads with bike lanes--4 foot wide paved shoulders for bicycle use--will cost approximately $2.5 million.

Wake County

On February 7, the Wake County Commissioners approved the implementation of the Open Space Grant Program. The grant program was developed to support the broader Wake County Open Space Plan, which will conserve land to protect water supplies, keep people out of flood hazard areas, provide places where residents and visitors can recreate for health and fitness, and protect the biological diversity of irreplaceable landscapes.  This program aims at creating partnerships between local organizations in preserving our significant natural resources.  Funding opportunities will be available to organizations in Wake County to acquire — and plan for acquiring — land with unique qualities that we cannot afford to lose.

The County Commissioners have initially set aside $850,000 for this program. An additional $1,000,000 has been requested by the OSAC in next year’s budget.  This land acquisition grant program will be available April 1, 2000.  An orientation meeting for those wishing to apply will be held April 17th. For more information, contact Kim Douglass, the Wake County Open Space Planner, at kdouglass@ co.wake.nc.us or 856-6555.

Greenways and Smart Growth

Cities, towns, and counties within the region are grappling with both what they may do to achieve smarter growth patterns, and what new authority they may need to be successful. 

A common element of all of these local, regional, and state exercises is efforts to identify the characteristics that can result in smart growth.  These characteristics might include: (1) a reduction of human and economic loss from flooding, (2) open space conservation, (3) cost-effective water quality protection through the retention of vegetated stream corridors, (4) providing trail systems for recreation and nonmotorized transportation, (5) encouraging protection of wetlands and stream channels, (6) maintaining viable ecological systems, (7) facilitating individual health close-to-home physical activity, (8) retaining habitat for wildlife, (9) increasing the value of private property, (10) accommodating environmental education opportunities, (11) stimulating new and expanded business, (12) supporting nature based tourism, (13) improving the image of communities, and (14) separating incompatible land uses while connecting compatible ones.

These characteristics are good news for communities pursuing interconnected greenway systems.  Greenways can deliver all of the above smart growth characteristics.  So, the only remaining question is whether local, regional, and state smart growth exercises will lead to identification of greenways as a critical element of all smart growth patterns.

The General Assembly’s Smart Growth Study Commission  is one avenue that could lead to improved tools for greenways and other smart growth initiatives.  They have begun to seek widespread citizen input, and will develop recommendations for the 2001 session. So please keep greenways in mind as you continue to hear the phrase “smart growth.”

From Trash to Treasure:  The Swift Creek Recycled Greenway

Constructed in 1993, the Swift Creek Greenway in Cary represents the nation’s first greenway to be developed entirely on the principles and products of recycling.  The Greenway set a new standard at its inception for using recycled products, implementing environmentally friendly construction practices, and educating the public on how to close the recycling loop.

Signs along the trail display interesting facts about this recycled greenway: the surface contains old roofing shingles and tires, the bridges are made from recycled plastic, and the signs themselves are made from recycled aluminum cans.

The Greenway trail has an 8-foot wide asphalt surface and continues for a little less than a mile.  It is relatively flat and follows Swift Creek from Ritter Park to Regency Parkway. 

At Regency Parkway, a short segment of sidewalk links the Swift Creek Greenway to the Symphony Trail (currently closed due to construction), which surrounds Lake Symphony (1.2 miles).  In all, this network of trails has become a haven for joggers, roller bladers and bicyclists.

The Swift Creek Greenway is part of a broader open space network in southern Cary that includes Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve and land managed by the Triangle Land Conservancy.  The Town of Cary plans to eventually extend the Greenway along Swift Creek, if possible, to connect with other greenways in Cary and Apex.

Directions: The Swift Creek Greenway can be accessed from Ritter Park which is located off southern Kildaire Farm Road on W. Lochmere Drive (see map). Upon entering Ritter Park, turn into the first parking lot on the left and access to the greenway will be at the end of the parking lot