HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 02-05-2002 - 5aORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: February5, 2002
Action Agenda
Item No. .r5 -q
SUBJECT: Resolution in Sup port of Mor gan Creek Valley Alliance
DEPARTMENT: ERCD PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) -No
ATTACHMENT: INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Stencil, 245-2590
Daft Resolution
TELEPHONE NUMBERS:
Hillsborough 7324181
Chapel Hill 8684501
Durham 688-0331.
Mebane 336327-2031
PURPOSE: To consider a resolLticn of support for the newly formed Morgan Creek Valley
Alliance.
BACKGROUND: In September 2001, a group of citizens and representatives of various
entities in southern Orange County came together as the Oat meeting of the Morgan Creek
Valley Alliance.
The mission of the Alliance is -to conserve tire natural and cultural heritage of the Morgan
Creek Valley and to protect the water quality in fine Morgan Creek watershed through public
and private cooperation and participation.- The Alllance seeks to achieve this mission
through two goals, 1) Protection of the ecological integrity of the Morgan Creek Valley, and 2)
Increasing public awareness of the importance of Morgan Creek to the natual and cultural
heritage of the region.
ERCD staff have Participated in the initial meetings of the Alliance, which is a voluntary
cooperative effort cautioned by the N.C. Botanical Garden A resolution similar to the draft
attached was adopted by the Town of Cartom In November, 2001.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: None
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Boat adopt the attached
resolution In support of the Morgan Creek Valley Alliance.
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE MORGAN CREEK VALLEY ALLIANCE
WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners has established protecting the
County 'a major watercourses and water supply watersheds as a high snarly, and
WHEREAS, the Morgan Creek valley forms the Unlversiry Lake watershed, as it courses
through southern Orange County, Carbi Chapel Hill, and eventually Into Jordan Lake,
and
WHEREAS, the Morgan Creek Valley includes scenic, cultural, recreational, water supply
and wildlife msources Including rare and valuable micro ecosystems, and
WHEREAS, the County owns land along tributaries of Morgan Creek, and has planning and
zoning authority over a significant portion of its valley, and
WHEREAS, the County has already taken signifcant steps over the years to protect the
important and sensitive ecology of Morgan Creek though planning and the implementation of
watershed protection standards that exceed State minimum miss, and
WHEREAS, the newly formed Morgan Creek Valley Alliance seeks to conserve the natural
and cultural heritage and ecological integrity of the region and to prated the water quality of
the Morgan Creek Valley through increasing. public awareness, cooperation and broad
participation, and
WHEREAS, the Alliance is voluntary cooperative effort which in its initial stages has
included broad participation from property owners along the creek, the N.C. Botanical
Gallen (through which it flows), the. Chapel HIII Museum, the Towns of Carrbcro and Chapel
Hill, Orange County, OWASA, UNO-Chapel Hill, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Triangle
Lend Conservancy, and others
:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners
hereby welcomes the establishment and supports the mission of the Morgan Creek Valley
Alliance to conserve Morgan Creek through public education, cooperation and coordination
of public and private parties, and voluntary conservation efforts to protect the natural and
cultural heritage and to protect the water quality.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners encourages
the Alliance to pursue its broad based strategy with maximum involvement of the public in the
interest of protecting one of our most valuable resources.
This, the 5" day of February, 2002.
Ban Jacobs, Chair
Orange County Board of Commissioners
ATTEST:
Beverly Blythe, Clerk to the Board