Dedicated to the appreciation, use, and preservation of the William B. Umstead
State Park and the Richland Creek natural area
Protect Umstead State Park/ Stop RDU Quarry Update - September 19, 2019
Thanks to the folks who joined us in court today to protect Umstead State Park and stop the proposed RDU Quarry!
There are two parts of any court case: legal standing and merit. The judge acknowledged that we do have legal standing, which means that we have the legal right to sue because the Plaintiffs (that’s us) would be harmed by the proposed quarry.
We have a strong case on merit and expect a ruling on the merits within the next 30 days. The judge also extended the TRO until at least his ruling.
We are also grateful to the Raleigh City Council for issuing a statement stating their opposition to the proposed RDU quarry. They also said the RDUAA should have obtained the City’s permission before entering into the quarry lease. Their statement issued Tuesday September 17 is:
The City of Raleigh is not in favor of the use of the Odd Fellows Tract as a quarry and believes that the RDU Airport should have obtained the City’s permission before entering into the quarry lease. The City will wait for the judge’s decision in The Umstead Coalition, et al. v. RDU Airport Authority and Wake Stone Corporation lawsuit and, following the hearing on Thursday, September 19, will decide if and what legal steps it may take going forward.
In other awesome news, NC Senator Wiley Nickel made a big announcement on September 19, 2019 on his Facebook page:
“We need to protect the Umstead State Park and stop the RDU Quarry.
I have no control over the Raleigh City Council and the decisions they make. However, as a State Senator I do have influence over the response from the State of North Carolina.
In the event that the lawsuit goes as expected my office has lined up multiple sources of revenue for RDU and will present the airport with a Plan B for their consideration. My plan would allow RDU to get paid the same amount of money they would have received under the Wake Stone lease as long as they keep this land intact and dedicated to nature. This beautiful land should be preserved for ALL Wake county residents, our children, their children and so on.
I want to leave our kids a legacy that includes more park land and open space, not a 400 foot hole in the ground.”
Original announcement here on Facebook
The momentum continues to build against the proposed quarry because of all your support and outreach to our elected officials. Keep up this great effort!
YouTube videos from July 25 Rally and August 25 Rialto Theatre speeches committing to continuing to help STOP the RDU Quarry
Stop RDU Quarry Yard Signs: Click here to fill out request form
More: Stop RDU Quarry
Cedar Ridge Trail is OPEN with now Rerouting The Cedar Ridge multi-use trail at William B. Umstead State Park inow open again with upgrades and re-routing. The 1.4-mile gravel trail did not currently meet the standards of other multi-use trails in the park. The repairs and re-route bring the trail up to current multi-use trail standards using sustainable trail construction standards including grade reversals, rolling dips, water turnouts to minimize erosion, and granite screenings to the top surface. Improved ditching will be added in some sections and bench cuts were used for sections that are re-routed. This project is made possible by a grant through the Umstead Coalition from the NC Recreation Trails Program with match assistance from The Umstead Coalition, volunteers, the Umstead 100, Carolina Godiva Tract Club, NC Road Runners Club, Great Outdoor Provision Company, and Park staff. More information: Press Release: Cedar Ridge reroute concept map.pdf Trail Grade reversal technique.pdf ===================== Victory! DEQ maintains oversight over protecting streams at RDU Airport! August 8, 2019 RDUAA request to be exempted to some of the Neuse Buffer Rules FAILED. Thanks to all the citizens and our local Senators and Representatives that stood up and said "no." However, the definition of "Airport Facilities" was broadened which allows more options for streams to be destroyed "with mitigation." That is never as good for the environment as keeping our healthy streams intact. We hope that RDUAA works with DEQ to ensure the policy of avoidance first, then minimization, and mitigation as the last option will be followed. That is the best process to protect the water quality and quantify of Crabtree Creek and Umstead State Park. All the airport lands drain directly into Umstead State Park, or via Crabtree Creek. ===================== STOP RDU QUARRY !! Infor on how to help:
===================== 2020 Walk/Run/Bike for Umstead Saturday, April 18, 2020 Mark your calendars! April 13, 2019 4-mile Race Results posted Big thanks to Carolina Godiva Track Club who ran the race timing!! And, TORC who guided the Tour De TORC bike rides!! ===================== 2019 Salamander, New T-shirt This year's new T-shirt is spectacular! Super soft, 100% cotton. This year's theme:Amphibians: Spotted Salamander and Eastern Newt in William B. Umstead State Park.
You will LOVE the fabric. , 100 percent Airlume combed and ringspun cotton and very soft! 2019 T-shirt features the eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) on the front and spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum).on the back More information on salamanders:https://herpsofnc.org/ from The North Carolina Herpetological Society https://ncherps.org/ The short sleeve adult unisex and youth t-shirt are a Bella-Canvas 4.2oz, 100 percent Airlume combed and ringspun cotton; Color Soft Cream (youth color is heather stone). There is a long sleeve option (also 100% cotton), color ash. | Upcoming Events
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