HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 09-14-2021; 7-b - Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) Update 1
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: September 14, 2021
Action Agenda
Item No. 7-b
SUBJECT: Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) Update
DEPARTMENT: Environment, Agriculture, Parks
& Recreation (DEAPR)
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
Summary of Project Activities Memo David Stancil, 919-245-2522
Adopted MST Map - January 2018 Christian Hirni, 919-245-2516
NC 54/Mebane-Oaks Road Adjustments
PURPOSE: To receive an update on the activity of staff and other project partners on acquiring
and constructing the segment route of the NC Mountains to Sea Trail (MST), a part of the NC
State Parks system, within Orange County.
BACKGROUND: In January 2018, the County adopted a route map for the portion of the NC
Mountains to Sea Trail in Orange County. This action was the culmination of several community
meetings and planning exercises to identify, refine and address the planned route of this trail
through Orange County. The NC Mountains to Sea Trail is a continuous off-road trail linking
Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Jockey's Ridge State Park on
the state's Outer Banks. The MST is part of the North Carolina State Parks system, with over 680
miles of the roughly 1,000-mile trail route open for use and road connecting sections identified by
the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail (FMST) organization to allow hikers to complete the trail
in areas where road routes are needed.
A statewide MST Master Plan was completed and approved in 2015 with an established corridor
for the trail across the state, broken into defining segments. The plan included information about
each segment, prioritization and plans for further work, centralized web-based content about trail
progress, and a set of tools and guidelines to assist trail planning partners.
One of the regions in the state where the trail corridor was in need of further identification and
refinement was the Eastern Piedmont section, from Greensboro to Durham. Segments of the
adopted MST corridor traverse Orange County, entering from southwestern Orange County at the
Alamance County line and running northeast through lands owned by the Orange Water and
Sewer Authority (OWASA) around Cane Creek Reservoir. The MST corridor then continues
northeast to the Orange County Seven Mile Creek Natural Area, before entering Occoneechee
Mountain State Natural Area and into Hillsborough along the Town's Riverwalk. The trail then
heads eastward into Eno River State Park and toward Durham.
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Because almost all of the MST located east of Hillsborough will be within Eno River State Park
and its master plan, the State and the Eno River Association have taken the lead to addressing
the trail from Hillsborough Riverwalk east to the Durham County line.
Orange County's responsibility is to connect the trail from Alamance County to Occoneechee
Mountain State Natural Area, and it is this area that has been the area of focus since 2018. As
shown in the current and prior Capital Investment Plans (CIP), the first area of emphasis was to
extend the trail west from the Hillsborough Riverwalk through Occoneechee Mountain and to the
Seven Mile Creek Natural Area. This would extend an existing section of the trail, and significant
progress has been made by the County, Town of Hillsborough, Eno River Association and State
Parks. This is addressed in the attached Project Summary of Recent Activities in the section
"Riverwalk to Seven Mile Creek Natural Area."
The second area of emphasis as per the adopted plan and the CIP was the subsection from NC
54 to Buckhorn Road, encompassing the Cane Creek Reservoir lands of OWASA. Working with
several willing and interested landowners, staff has secured sections of trail corridor as well as a
future trailhead on NC 54, and is finalizing trail easements with multiple property owners on lands
that abut the OWASA Cane Creek lands where the trail would run. Updates on the progress in
this area is provided in the attached summary document in the section titled "Cane Creek
Reservoir Area." (Note: To protect landowner confidentiality, the summary document does not
reference specific properties.)
The third and final area of activity for the Orange County section of the MST would connect
Buckhorn Road near Cane Creek to the Seven Mile Creek Natural Area. It is expected that this
subsection of the trail may take many years to complete, as was noted in the adopted 2018 map,
and the Friends of the Mountains to Sea Trail have been working on road route connectors to
serve hikers until the trail corridor is completed at some date in the future.
Staff continues to work with willing landowners, and is in regular contact with OWASA staff
regarding the progress in that area, and the potential for construction of a segment of the trail in
the Cane Creek area is being contemplated at this time.
As a long-term, multi-year project, staff plans to provide status reports to the Board on a regular
basis to update on the activity and progress toward the trail route.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: Funding for both land acquisition/trail easements and trail construction
(including appurtenances like road crossings, fences, bridges and other needs) is included in the
adopted Capital Investment Plan from prior years, including $220,000 for trail easements and land
acquisitions. MST funding is and has been staggered over several years, based on the three focus
areas of the trail mentioned above. Funding for trail easements and land acquisition is also
provided by NC State Parks, and other costs are offset by the work of the trail partners such as
Eno River Association and FMST.
SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: The following Orange County Social Justice Goal is applicable to
this item:
• GOAL: ESTABLISH SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE LAND-USE AND
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of people of all races, cultures, incomes
and educational levels with respect to the development and enforcement of environmental
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laws, regulations, policies, and decisions. Fair treatment means that no group of people
should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences
resulting from industrial, governmental and commercial operations or policies.
The Mountains to Sea Trail is consistent with the Social Justice Goal by facilitating an area of
public recreation that is available and accessible to "people of all races, cultures, incomes and
educational levels."
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: The following Orange County Environmental Responsibility Goal
impact is applicable to this item:
• RESULTANT IMPACT ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND AIR QUALITY
Assess and where possible mitigate adverse impacts created to the natural resources of
the site and adjoining area. Minimize production of greenhouse gases.
The Mountains to Sea Trail is in keeping with this impact by helping to conserve open space and
promote alternative transportation methods that help protect natural resources and work to
mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive the report and
presentation, and provide feedback to staff as desired.
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ORANGE COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, AGRICULTURE,
PARKS AND RECREATION
MEMORANDUM
To: Board of County Commissioners
Bonnie Hammersley, County Manager
From: David Stancil, DEAPR Director
Christian Hirni, Land Conservation Manager
Date: September 14t", 2021
Subject: NC Mountains to Sea Trail Progress Report
As an update on activity along the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) corridor, Land Conservation
Manager Christian Hirni, working with our trail partner organizations, reports the following activity.
To protect landowner confidentiality, properties are not referenced by name:
Occoneechee Mountain to Seven Mile Creek(Phase 1)
• County staff continues to work with Eno River Association to negotiate additional
connections from Dimmocks Mill Road to Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area,
through either fee simple or trail easement options. Recent landowner interest in a
combined conservation/trail easement has the real potential to make this connection.A
recent site meeting has confirmed this landowner's interest in pursuing a trail easement.
Staff is in discussion with State and private nonprofit partners to confirm this route and
connection.
• The County received grant funding for acquisition of an addition to the Seven Mile Creek
Natural Area that the MST may cross through. Final discussions with the landowner are
underway and should be completed this fall.
• The County has also been awarded a grant for a conservation easement adjacent to Seven
Mile Creek Natural Area. Final easement language is under review by the State, and will
include a trail easement to connect from Seven Mile Creek Natural Area to the east.
• The State Property Office purchased a trail corridor with aid of Eno River Association and NC
Connect Bond funds. State Parks will manage the land as part of Occoneechee Mountain
State Natural Area and allow MST connection to the west and the Hillsborough Riverwalk.
• Letters of interest have been sent to another landowner that could be the final piece
needed to connect Seven Mile Creek Natural Area to the east.
Cane Creek Reservoir Area (Phase 11)
• Secured a trail corridor and trailhead along NC 54 that will allow a safer trail route by
eliminating the need for the trail to run within the NC 54 right-of-way.
• Acquired an adjacent trail easement (donation)to connect the trailhead to the Mebane-
Oaks/NC 54 Intersection.
• Staff is working with OWASA staff and the Friends of the MST(FMST)to discuss specific trail
location possibilities, and whether changes will be needed to OWASA provisions and
adopted conditions.
Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation
PO Box 8181/306-A Revere Road
Hillsborough, NC 27278
(919) 245-2510
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• Staff began discussion with a new landowner on Cane Creek Reservoir.This owner is
interested in granting a trail easement on land recently acquired adjacent to the reservoir.
Discussions will continue after landowner has completed other needed actions for the land
and its management.
• After a lengthy review, conservation easement amendments have been finalized and
recorded for OWASA and the Clean Water Management Trust Fund (now the NC Land and
Water Fund) on pre-existing easements that exist on an interested landowner's property.
This landowner has stated an intention to grant a trail easement to connect OWASA lands at
Cane Creek to a public road along the adopted route. Final trail easement is under review by
County legal staff.
• Final easement language is under County legal review for an additional landowner donation
trail easement.
• OWASA has secured complete ownership of a tract of vital connection along the Reservoir
route. County staff has been in conversation with OWASA staff regarding the route and
particular easement language. Site (scouting)visits and potential routing are being
suggested in the near future.
Eno River State Park(ERSP)to Durham County
• Note:State Parks, the Eno River Association and the FMST are coordinating in this segment
from Hillsborough Riverwalk eastward.
• The FMST and State Parks worked to secure a pedestrian walkway on the proposed new
NCDOT bridge over the Eno River at Pleasant Green Road. The new bridge is expected to be
completed around 2025 (before recent DOT budget issues) with a sidewalk. This will allow
nearly 4 additional miles of trail through Eno River State Park.
• FMST and OC staff worked to ensure the trail path be included underneath the newly rebuilt
Hwy 70 bridge north of Hillsborough
• FMST is following up with landowners to connect two portions of ERSP.
Next Steps:
• Follow-up with interested landowners in Cane Creek and Occoneechee/Seven Mile Creek
areas.
• Review of potential requests to OWASA regarding conditions for the MST on OWASA-owned
land. Discuss specific trail location and construction details with OWASA staff.
• The FMST is posting road routes to allow hiking connections between existing and proposed
trail segments on their website.
In closing, it is important to note that negotiations of all trail easements involve a series of
discussions with landowners,their attorneys, and the County's environmental and legal staff and
management.The County must perform due diligence in any negotiation for acquisitions using
public funds.As such,there are occasions where conversations and information-gathering is
underway and necessary but not always visible to all interested parties, until the time for official
action (as per State statutes).
Please let us know if we may provide additional information.
Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation
PO Box 8181/306-A Revere Road
Hillsborough, NC 27278
(919) 245-2510
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Orange County Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) Route - Adopted 1/23/2018
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Tract Information: 0 295 590 1,180 1,770 2,360 Feet
Legend
Landowner: Various ORANGE COUNTY Adjusted Trail Route
Lat: 35' 57.63"
•••••••••• BOCC Adopted Route
Long: 79' 15.11"
Date: 09/01/2021 +' `�� Roads
Image: 2017 Aerial Photo , � Streams
Created By: Christian Hirni
OWASA Lands
Acres: N/A
Department of Environment, County Trailhead
Agriculture, Parks&Recreation ® Conservation Easements