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News
Chair Talk
Dear Friends,
We have been very busy since the highly successful festival in October and Townsend-Bertram Fund-Raiser in December. In January we held a retreat to develop an Action Plan for the year. Here are some highlights of our activities!
Legislative Initiatives: Several proposals will be made to the Town of Carrboro this calendar year: (1) to improve storm water ordinances; (2) to ensure dedication of stream buffer open space to the Town; and (3) to strengthen protection of sensitive areas along the creek.
Website: Jackie Helvey has completely redesigned the webpage which now includes an information page “about us”, calendar which is updated often, a history page which is continually evolving under the able direction of Matt Longnecker, a volunteer page, a photo gallery and links to other useful websites. If you haven’t visited the website recently, we urge you to do so and experience a visual treat! www.bolincreek.org
Adams Preserve Signage: Randy Dodd obtained a grant from the state to create signs about the history and ecology of the Adams Preserve. Signs are currently being made to describe the history of the old Weaver House, caves at the foot of the Preserve and names of many trees along the trails. Signs will be posted in English and Spanish. We are grateful to Randy, Matt Longnecker and Debbie Rigdon for helping to write the text!!
History Project: Matt Longnecker with help from Debbie Rigdon have been researching and writing informative chapters about the history of Bolin Creek. Chapters now on the webpage include:
(1) Iron Mine and Railroad
(2) Civil War
(3) Horace Williams Tract
(4) Buck Taylor Mill Site
(5) Native Americans
(6) Andy Griffith House
(7) Adams Preserve (written by Debbie Rigdon)
Debbie and Matt are currently preparing a story about the Lloyd-Andrews Historic Farmstead, a 120-acre parcel near the headwaters which John and Jean Earnhardt have preserved in perpetuity through a conservation easement held by the Triangle Land Conservancy.
Erosion Control Inspections: In February Scott Kovens, developer of Winmore on Homestead Road, invited FoBC to participate in weekly inspections required by the County. Mary Rabinowitz has energetically coordinated our efforts at Winmore (see story on the webpage). We hope that this pioneering project will set a precedent for cooperation with builders as other developments in the Bolin Creek watershed are approved.
New Developments: An important part of our action plan is to monitor new developments in the watershed. Several developments have already been approved or are being planned this year.
a. Claremont I will be built N of Homestead Rd and W of
Bolin Creek by the Zinn Brothers. We participated in walkthroughs for Claremont I and Claremont II, which will be built S of Homestead Rd and W of Bolin Creek. The developers have expressed willingness to work with us and we will request that they dedicate a portion of the open space along the creek to the Town of Carrboro.
b. Carolina Commons is another development in the planning stages N of Claremont I and Winmore along Bolin Creek. Carolina Commons was originally part of the property donated to UNC by Horace Williams. The University plans to develop only the SW portion of this property as affordable housing for new faculty and staff. We have met with the University to review plans and express our interests to preserve as much of the creek corridor as possible. UNC has been very cooperative and plans to leave a wide buffer (more than 200 ft) between houses and the creek. It is uncertain what will be done with the small, buildable NE quadrant. UNC indicated that this part of the property might be sold.
c. Horace Williams Woodland Preserve. Residents of the Claymore neighborhood E of the Carolina Commons property have proposed that UNC dedicate the NE quadrant as the “Horace Williams Woodland Preserve”. This proposal has generated controversy because the HWWP is not part of the watershed designated for preservation on the Carrboro conservation map approved last October nor is it included in the “core park” proposed by FoBC. On the other hand, the parcel was recommended for preservation in the Morgan-Little Creek Watershed Study in 2005. We have agreed to endorse this proposal.
d. Cotton Tract. Another property immediately above Carolina Commons, formerly owned by the Cotton family, was recently purchased for development. A perennial stream and tributary of Bolin Creek flows in a southerly direction through the property. The Carrboro Stream Buffer Ordinance should protect the stream corridor from development. We will carefully monitor plans for development of this property.
Invasives Removal Project: A number of invasive species including privet, Russian olive, Japanese honeysuckle and floribunda are growing in profusion along Bolin Creek, crowding out native species. FoBC with the help of CHHS science teacher Loren Hintz and NC Botanical Gardens curator Alan Johnson have initiated an Invasives Removal Project near CHHS and the project has been approved for Service Learning credit. About 10 students have worked on the project so far. On April 22, 16 employees of the Human Studies Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, held an Earth Day Work Party removing invasives in the same section of the Bolin Creek. We plan to continue this project next fall. Watch for workday announcements!
Environmental Education Project: Carolyn Buckner has volunteered to organize an FoBC Environmental Education Program. Carolyn plans to initiate Stream Watch and a regular series of hikes and walks. The Haw River Assembly will help us launch the Stream Watch project at the Annual Picnic in June (see below). Environmental Education is a very important part of our mission and we are excited about Carolyn’s efforts to develop this part of the program!
Annual Picnic/Stream Stewardship Program: On Sunday, June 4, we held our Annual Bolin Creek at the Lake Hogan Farms Clubhouse. Catherine Deininger and Cynthia Crossen from the Haw River Assembly gave a marvelous presentation on Stream Stewardship followed by a walk along the creek. About two dozen came out for an evening of fun, food, fellowship and a healthy bit of environmental education. Finally, the Bolin Creek Harmony Boys, a talented local barbershop quartet, concluded the program with memorable song. (We now know that the barred owl has strong competition for the title of “quintessential voice of Bolin Forest”!)
Election of Officers: On June 4, an election of officers for next year was also held. Congratulations to David Cooley, our new Chair, and Beth Dray, our new Secretary. Several board members were re-elected including Paul Debreczeny (Treasurer), Julie McClintock (Vice-chair for Policy) and Dave Otto (Vice-chair for Programs). If you are interested in serving on one of the project committees (Land Acquisition, Environmental Education, Bolin Creek History, Program Planning, Festival Planning, Invasives Removal, Fund-raising and more), contact David Cooley, Dave Otto, or Julie McClintock. We also need a new Volunteer Coordinator!
New Chair: After serving as Chair, Co-Chair or Vice Chair for the past four years, I felt it was time to step aside and let someone else with new ideas and energies take the lead. It has been an exhilarating and deeply satisfying experience to see the Friends of Bolin Creek grow and assume a leading role of environmental stewardship in the community. I am very proud of our accomplishments and very confident that David Cooley, with your help, will continue the important work of preserving the Bolin Creek Corridor.
I would like to thank all of you for your dedication and support over the past four years and to encourage you to help the Friends of Bolin Creek continue to expand our program of environmental preservation and education.
Respectfully,
Dave Otto
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