[The following article is in the April edition of Endurance Magazine. If you missed it there, check it out here.]



(squonk, Yosemite, 1965)

[excerpt]

Now upon us is a great awakening of “green” technologies and ream after ream of printed documents on the subject of sustainable growth. While I do believe these efforts hold some promise for human future it concerns me that one day I might look up to find a beautifully arranged “green” development where once there was a lovely forest. As a trail runner, the question I keep asking is what do you see when you look at a forest – a resource potentially managed for sustainable development or, simply, a forest?

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Plan B T-Shirts are now available!

"Plan B" - in this context - is a phrase recognized in environmental circles as an alternative viewpoint that advocates for, among other things, forest preservation.



(Front close-up)



(Back close-up)
The words in the tract outline are taken from your comments on the preservation petition.

Larger design images are found below.

The message is simple - Preserve the Forest!

This is not a fundraiser. We hope that the t-shirt will open conversation regarding the preservation of parts of the Carolina North Forest.

read more for order details..

The online petition (sign now!) to preserve 75% of the 900 acres in the Horace Williams Tract is percolating along, gaining signatures each day.

So, what are some of you saying? Have a look at the following quotes. It's also worth noting that over 60% of the online petition signers are under the age of 30. Perhaps this generation understands just how important to their future this forest can be.

"The existence value of a mature forest with easy access by thousands of local citizens will far outweigh the short-term benefits of development. Furthermore, the land provides a growing sense of beauty to the University and Town in a time where development is rampantly consuming historic and beautiful spaces worldwide."

"People sometimes just have to get away from all the noise and disorder of the world and building a mixed development would take away that pleasure from many people. UNC just wants to do this for money. They ignore the long term benefits of the forests. Please do not destroy the forest!"

"I'm a runner at Chapel Hill High and I use those trails almost every day for training. Without that beautiful expanse of forest and the shade it provides, running would be significantly less fun than it is now. Please do not develop this area."

"I am a geology student and along with classmates made a geologic map of the forest. I have been through almost all of it and appreciate the value of preserving the forest. It is an excellent place for recreation and study."

"Development has severed the important contiguous wildlife corridors in Chapel Hill at an rapid rate. I have seen more wildlife at the Horace Williams Tract, like redtailed fox, albino deer, and many species of birds I've not seen anywhere else around here. The Horace Willaims Tract stands as one of the last safe places for diversity of wildlife's survival. Please do all you can to grant that special land its deserved perpetuity.Thank you for paying attention to our children's future and the future of a healthy community in Chapel Hill."

"I used to run everyday through the forest while training for the UNC Track & Cross Country teams. We need to conserve areas for outdoor activities and wild life."

"my wife and i walk in these woods twice A DAY! they are a huge part of our lives, our pets lives, and we hope a huge part of our little baby boy's. in fact, he has started joining us on our morning and evening walks. please preserve as much of this space as possible. Not building or changing or developing on it would be the most ethical, most forward thinking, and most considerate of actions. thank you."

"Coming from Idaho, a land with many protected natural spaces, I have been pleasantly surprised at the number of wooded areas I have been able to find still around in North Carolina. We must continue to preserve these remaining spaces for our own and future generations."

"Three years ago, these trails and the people who run on them brought a new joy to my life. They fostered friendships and solidified a value system that will be with me for life. I cannot imagine a research campus could have done the same. Preserving this land is the right thing to do and, in the long run, will benefit UNC and Chapel Hill more than a research campus ever could."

"Deforestation is the number one reason for global warming."

"I am a professor at Carolina and feel strongly about this. [signing petition to preserve]"

"These woods are a rare gem in today's world of chop and conquer. I support development, but only development that is well planned, and considers preserving the best of what nature has to offer. This area provides recreation opportunities for people all over the triangle area, which in turn makes them healthier individuals and better, contributing citizens in our community. Please save this great resource which contributes to the health of the public!

"I have peacefully encountered many deer, owls, tortises, and birds of all kinds, as well as many other joggers, walkers, dogs, families. It is a superb work of nature with varied forest habitats, meadows, and rock outcropings. And Bolin creek is a gorgeous resource."

"Part of the joy of living in the Chapel Hill Area is the space to run, to walk, to bike in covered trails. It gives our children the appreciation for our planet and allows them to exercise in open environment. I truly believe that the development of our in town trail systems for development will end up hurting the draw of people to come to our community. You cannot replace the open space with full grown trees."

"The real estate value of Central Park in NYC was estimated by a property-appraisal firm to be $528,783,552,000 (""528 billion 783 million 552 thousand dollars""). Yet, the idea of a park, where people can just roam around somehow trumps any notion of a hotel, theater, or research insitution for that matter. Yet, this miserable little tract of land here in C'hill which provides a refuge for joggers, bikers, and deer watchers, is somehow trumped by the mighty Carolina North. Go figure."

"my mom's been working on saving trails for a long time with the pumpkin run...we need to save them!"

"I just moved to town six weeks ago and feel that Horace Williams Tract is an oasis that drew me to Chapel Hill in the first place. Comprimising it will change what I feel is so wonderful about this community - that we value our natural resources enough to not perturb them!"

"I always thought the Horace Williams Tract was the Central Park of Chapel Hill and Carrboro ! I grew up in town and now have children of my own,I hate to see these robust and beautiful trails become basically another business park ! Where am I going to take my kids hiking and mountain biking now ? I think UNC is suffering from a case of Centennial Campus Envy !"

"In an era of fast disappearing ""open space"" especially in urban areas, the oppurtunity for different communities, agencies, ie, UNC, Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County, to work together to perserve this beautiful piece of land could illustrate to the country that we can work together to achieve a common goal, in this case, land preservation, no matter our differences"

"Bolin Creek trails saved my life and my graduate career! Seriously. When I moved from New Zealand to Chapel Hill to begin my masters degree I missed the accessibility of nature that I had back home in NZ and became severely depressed...until I found the Bolin Creek Trails. If I hadn't, I would have packed up my things and left in my first semester. The trails are a sanctuary that inspired me to stay in Chapel Hill, continue studying towards a PhD, and even to buy a house in one of the neighborhoods bordering the trails. You simply cannot ignore the request of this petition."

"Please do not take away the 900 acres! If you have to ruin our land please stick to the 250 development and help to preserve the rest. Our environment can not continue to take these horrible hits."

SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION NOW!

You may have read this in today's Chapel Hill News.

If not, read it here!

Girl runner hopes UNC spares trails

Editor’s note: The following is an open letter to UNC Chancellor James Moeser.

I am 10 and I love to run. I don’t think you should build on the trails because I have had many good and fun experiences. I have run the pumpkin run two years now, and before that my dad ran it and my mom did the water stations.

I am also in two running clubs. Once when I was running with the Pacers my coach got us lost and we ended up running five miles in the rain. One time when I was with the Trailheads and my dad we were running in the dark with headlamps and the other Trailheads were faster than me and my dad so we would take short cut through the woods and if I ever got too tired we would cut through the woods until we got to the pumpkin trail.

Even if you don’t run, these trails are a great place to just go and enjoy the outdoors. If you have had a long hard day at work the trails are a great place to just relax and have nothing to think about.

People are not the only ones that like the trails. When I run I see all different kinds of wildlife. Like trees, vines, weeds, roots, rivers, deer, owls, squirrels, birds, turtles, snakes, fish. If the university builds on the trails all of this wildlife will lose its home and many runners including me will be heart broken.

I hope I helped convince you to save the trails and not build on them.

-- Allie Parker, age 10, Carrboro

You've convinced all the TrailHeads! THANKS! We look forward to hearing Chancellor Moeser's reply!

(cute little path as part of Carolina North presentation. Is this what they call a "trail?")

Quite the journey we've been on - one that twists in a new direction now that Carolina North Corporation as made its pitch to UNC's Board of Trustees. (get the pdf).

There's video of the 7/31/07 Carolina North sales presentation.

I ENCOURAGE ALL OF YOU TO FORWARD TO 1:25:00 and listen to CAM HILL's Comments.

Evans says that 75% perservation is not something the BOT is willing to even consider.

Let’s see. Of the TWELVE members of the BOT Roger Perry is the ONLY Chapel Hill resident. (Oh, and his firm, East West Parnters is responsible for more development in the state of North Carolina than any other firm.) www.unc.edu/depts/trustees/member.html

So, there are ELEVEN people from outside our community telling us that preserving 75% of the local forest - which is what the community said it wanted - is never going to happen.

Why does anyone feel that this is acceptable? Is anyone else appalled by the arrogance of this? Not to mention the backward thinking from a flagship university at a time when communities all around the world are fighting for MORE green space and preservation.

I suspect these 12 have no idea of the impact developing Carolina North will have on our towns and its children - nor do I believe they have carefully weighed this outcome.

As such, I’m more convinced than ever that 75% of the HWT SHOULD BE PRESERVED, regardless of the fact these TWELVE human beings feel it should not be preserved.

What are we afraid of - that UNC will invoke some self-governing clause and attempt to zone themselves a development of their own choosing?! Imagine the headlines! Imagine the disintegration of relations with the towns that are already strained.

(Image from Carolina North BOT presentation, showing Phase I buildout)

We’re still gathering signatures on our preservation petition:

www.ipetitions.com/petition/preserve_HWT/

I enourage all of you to sign and pass on to anyone you think would be interested (like the majority of our community).

I’ve recently shared this with folks in the western part of the state. First, they have NO IDEA Carolina North is even happening and secondly, they’re outraged that Chapel Hill “of all places” can’t think itself out of box and expand its vision to something that’s alive and really lasting - like a forest.

Globally, the idea is on the rise. Some of you may read Lester Brown from the World Watch Insitute. In his recent piece in the Globalist, “Designing Cities for People,” Brown discusses new measures to reclaim green and open spaces in Bogata, and he reminds readers of E.O. Wilson’s Biophilia hypothesis: “which argues that those who are deprived of contact with nature suffer psychologically — and that this deprivation leads to a measurable decline in well-being.”

…and I don’t think he’s referring to increasing the number of golf courses.

www.theglobalist.com/StoryId.aspx?StoryId=6146

I suspect there’s already some battle fatigue setting in on the issue of Carolina North. That’s a shame - seems the real fight is ahead of us. Our committment, however, is to fight FOR something instead of against something. We feel it’s in the best interest of this community to preserve 75% of the HWT and get it off the table as a bargaining chip between the towns and UNC and to inform the latter that it really isn’t ok to ignore the majority of our towns’ inhabitants, for 50 years or for 50 seconds.

(what makes me think UNC will build on every acre? - note the shading...)

On June 11th Chapel Hill Town Council met to discuss its town manager's proposal to hire consultants to review the Carolina North conceptual plan.

Bascially, the council rejected the appeal to hire the consultants citing that there's too little information on the table regarding fiscal equity, environmental reports, etc.

As Cam Hill put it, "...it's kind of like putting the cart before the horse." Sally Greene commented that UNC's proposed conceptual plan does not mean that a zone is created to fit it, but that a zone is created by the towns and its people in which to place Carolina North.

Bill Strom commented that as a result of the public forum, sponsored by Neighborhoods for Responsible Growth, it was obvious that there is too little information on the table and too much anxiety about UNC's pace in the process.

In effect, Council agreed that Chapel Hill's timeline is not the same timeline as UNC's. The Carolina North enterprise is presenting plans to in its final "town meeting" this Thursday, 6-21. Then they present their plan to the board of trustees in July for a recommendation to the governors and the town in October.

What are the take home points here:

1. The towns need to hear our comments regarding preservation amongst the changing backdrop of UNC's intentions for the Horace Williams Tract.

2. The Carolina North Corporation continues to shift its objectives for the development, from a research campus to a campus of relocated centers and institutes, and, hey, the Law School as well. (These are tax free buildings.) This is important because the LAC (Leadership Advisory Committee) Report was generated based on entirely different assumptions, primarily as a mixed-use research oriented campus. Council remarked that CN's new twist effectively nuliifies that report.

3. Community input - in the council meeting, members repeatedly commented on feedback that they had received from the public on CN issues and it does in fact help them to formulate a framework for their approach to this problem of what to zone, where to zone it, and how much to zone.

To watch this in action, tune in here:

CN Consultant Proposal>

Signings of the Horace Williams Forest Preservation Petition are heating up. We need your support!

You can sign the petition at Fleet Feet Carrboro and at The Open Eye Cafe in Carrboro. Anyone else who would like to have copies on hand for signing in their locations need but contact me and I'll send out a packet.

There is quite a range of signatures coming from many parts of our community, not just trail runners. They share a common thread - preserve the forest, otherwise, it will be lost.

Here are a few comments that we should all share:

"I ran the Carrboro 50K last year on some of these trails and was amazed by the forest's beauty, quietude, and wilderness character so close to a metropolis. On behalf of Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine's quarter-million readers, I urge you to preserve the trails and ecology of Carolina North." [Will Harlan]

"Preserving a large percentage of this property in perpetuity is visionary and completely consistent with the University's mission. Refusing to do so is consistent with the predominant and misguided cultural paradigm that humans sequester themselves from the natural world to satisfy various perceived needs. I truly hope that our collective wisdom can embrace the idea that higher education can shift it's focus from (perpetual)upward mobility to ""homecoming"": becoming intimate with and deeply caring about our place and habitat. This for me is the crux of the tension, and I truly hope the trustees can see the value to future generations in preserving a small remnant of the natural world. Doing so would be a large step in creating the unique and special place that we all desire." [Randy Dodd]

"The Horace Williams Tract was a big part of my college running experience - it would be a great loss to the running community if it were lost." [Giles Ward]

"Development has severed the important contiguous wildlife corridors in Chapel Hill at an rapid rate. I have seen more wildlife at the Horace Williams Tract, like redtailed fox, albino deer, and many species of birds I've not seen anywhere else around here. The Horace Willaims Tract stands as one of the last safe places for diversity of wildlife's survival. Please do all you can to grant that special land its deserved perpetuity.Thank you for paying attention to our children's future and the future of a healthy community in Chapel Hill." [Callie Ward]

"I am a geology student and along with classmates made a geologic map of the forest. I have been through almost all of it and appreciate the value of preserving the forest. It is an excellent place for recreation and study." [Colin Justice]

"Please please preserve this land. The main reason we love living here so very much is because of the green space. There are so many wonderful things to see and experience back there, owls, deer, birds, trees, etc. It would be so sad if this were not preserved." [Margaret Cannon]

"The forests of the Horace Williams tract is a huge part of what makes living in Chapel Hill/Carrboro and working at UNC so great." [Jeff Gray]

"Bolin Forest and Creek are natural treasures that should be preserved for future generations to use and enjoy. Southern Orange County is being developed at an alarming rate. The Horace Williams Tract is the largest undeveloped property im the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area. Preservation in perpetuity of as much of this property as possible will be of incalculable value to future residents ,students and faculty of the University for recreation, nature study and regeneration of the soul. We must seize this opportunity today because if we wait until tomorrow,it will be gone forever!" [David Otto]

"The HWT preserved as forest will be a better investment in the long term than short sighted development incomes. The accessibility for recreation is unparalleled in this region. Chapel Hill is the home of the first public university in America, lets not ruin our honor and prestige be turning our local beauty into business." [Katherine Zeman]

...and there's plenty more where these come from....

This Saturday is National Trails Day! Get out there and get on the trails in Chapel Hill and Carrboro! Ride, run or walk them (be on the look out for fawns - we've seen some does that are about to pop!)

In honor of National Trails Day, here are a few items of interest:

Without the forest and its land, there will be no trails. Sign this petition to preserve the forest!

Sign the TRAIL USE surveys! At four major trail access points, you will see a weather-proof clipboard containing a VERY brief survey form. Please log your use of the trails! Also in the packet you will find copies of the preservation petition and additional information.

Visit Fleet Feet Carrboro and The Open Eye Cafe on Saturday! Both locations will have copies of the petition, trail maps, and additional information about the trail network.

LIVE MUSIC - Saturday at the OPEN EYE CAFE. Starting at 6:30 pm, the Potentates and Guilty Pleasures will throw down a variety of songs and tunes in celebration of healthful outdoor activity. We'll mix in some traditional Irish music too.

Also, there will be opportunities to ask questions about preservation efforts, view maps of the forest, and learn more about the forest wilderness in our backyard.

We look forward to sharing the trails and an evening of music, fellowship and fun - come on out!

In honor of National Trails Day, Saturday, June 2nd, citizens for the preservation of seventy-five percent of the Horace Williams Tract encourage everyone who loves the forest, its inhabitants and trail network to sign this petition.

Plans for Carolina North are advancing at an alarming rate, and while UNC has stated it will hold development at 250 acres for 50 years there are no guarantees. UNC's Board of Trustees and Carolina North developers maintain a rigid "no preservation" stance.

This petition is an appeal to preserve all lands remaining after the initial development of 250 acres. Without preservation, the entire forest will be lost over time.

For more information and details on upcoming meetings....

....read more

Many of us in our community have been looking for examples of vision that encompass the preservation of the Horace Williams Tract (Carolina North), instead of the inevitable erosion of the land under the auspices of "sustainable development."

Many town and gown leaders spent some time in Madison, Wisconsin at the end of last summer, and it seems a very large lesson did not find its way back into our community - The Lakeshore Nature Preserve.

Read more, please...and let's see how progressive a college town can really be.