 | The Umstead Coalition |
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The Umstead Coalition is a volunteer-led, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization comprised of individual members and 16 partner conservation organizations. 100% of your donations go directly to help William B. Umstead State Park and are tax deductible. Since 1968, the Umstead Coalition has repeatedly risen to protect William B. Umstead State Park from threats such as quarries, a proposal to sell the Park, a dry-dam flood control structure on Turkey Creek, RDU airport runways that would have taken Park lands and a plan to build a major highway through the Park and the Richland Creek Corridor. Your donations help us with Park land acquisition, environmental education activities, trail maintenance, restoration of the 120 historic cabins and mess halls and preserving the cultural history of the rural community that once lived in the lands that became William B. Umstead State Park. Read more about our projects here. The Umstead Coalition serves as the conduit to donate funds to help the Park. |
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FUND DRIVE - $15,000 DONOR MATCH
Fundraising total as of October 1, 2022 | We're grateful to two donors' offers to match up to $10,000 and $5,000 of contributions to the Umstead Coalition! They have agreed that all contributions starting August 1, 2022 including donations, merchandise sales (e.g., 2023 calendars, T-shirts, Fall Native Plant Sale), and memberships will count towards their match! All contributions go directly to support William B. Umstead State Park. William B. Umstead State Park is unique within the State’s Park System. Conveniently located in the heart of the Triangle, this oasis of nature serves our growing population. Preserving this precious public asset for the area’s current and future citizens requires a multi-pronged effort to protect Umstead State Park from harmful development near the boundary, achieve greater cooperation with RDU Int’l Airport, and expansion of the Park onto diminishing surrounding natural lands. The challenges we face are many and diverse. Park protection and expansion is necessary to maintain a healthy wilderness destination. We’re fortunate to have so many devoted volunteers, contributing thousands of hours of their time toward this ongoing effort. The most egregious assaults on the Park sometimes come from powerful, well connected interests. Such unfortunate situations may require professional and legal services simply to resist poor decisions with permanent consequences for Umstead State Park and future generations. Thank you for your support! You can help us achieve our goal by donating below. |
Become an Umstead Coalition Sustainer
The easiest and most efficient way to support the Umstead Coalition is through automatic monthly payments. These consistent, monthly gifts bring stability, help us maintain our support of William B. Umstead State Park and plan for future projects. We’ll deduct your designated donation each month. In the donation form below, select Monthly as the Payment Frequency. You will automatically become a member and/or a renewed member of the Umstead Coalition with your donation.
Other Ways to Give
AmazonSmileIncrease your impact by using AmazonSmile when shopping at Amazon. You’ll find the same prices and deals with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the Umstead Coalition. It's still your Amazon account, except the Umstead Coalition gets a donation. This is the perfect way to support the Umstead Coalition without any extra cost to you! |
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Matching GiftsMatching gifts are a form of corporate giving in which employers financially match the donations their employees make to nonprofit organizations. They essentially double an employee's donation. Please check to see if your company offers this wonderful program and make your donation to the Umstead Coalition go even further! Online StoreShop local and find gifts for everyone on your list. We just added new items to our store including 2023 calendars, fleece, T-shirts and more! Shop now>> | Create a Facebook FundraiserFacebook Fundraisers are an easy way to raise money for the Umstead Coalition and we receive 100% of the donations raised. A fundraiser is an opportunity to bring your community together to support you and your cause. Think of creating one for your next birthday or on a special day like Giving Tuesday. Mail a CheckIf you prefer to write a check instead of doing an online donation, you can send it, made payable to the Umstead Coalition, to this address: P.O. Box 10654, Raleigh, NC 27605 |
For 53 years, the Umstead Coalition’s mission has been to preserve the natural integrity of William B. Umstead State Park and the Richland Creek Corridor. We’re proud to have successfully protected the Park from several threats throughout the years including a proposal to build a highway through the Park and even attempts to sell it!
And still today the threats continue.
It’s hard to believe we’ve been fighting since 2016 to stop Wake Stone’s plans to build a new rock quarry adjacent to one of the most pristine sections of the Park. We will win and protect our State Park!
We had some significant wins this year in our fight and we definitely could not do this without the help from supporters like you.
With your support, we accomplished so much in 2021
RDU Quarry and Fence
- We won a key appeal with our fight to stop RDU Quarry. The Judge reversed (invalidated) NC Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) decision to issue Neuse Buffer Authorization for Wake Stone’s proposed bridge over Crabtree Creek for the new mining pit
- The Raleigh Durham Airport Authority (RDUAA) removed funding for an 8’ tall security fence (known as RDU Fence) on the border of the Odd Fellows Tract and Umstead State Park. We think this is due to the massive public outcry and opposition to the fence
- We led five hikes along the border of Umstead State Park and the Odd Fellows Tract. We were grateful to have Senator Wiley Nickel host a press conference and join us on one of these hikes
- Over 4,800 public comments opposing RDU Quarry were sent to NC DEQ and local elected officials. You can still submit your comments here
Events & Projects
- Hosted our annual Walk/Run/Bike for Umstead virtually. Save the date for next year’s event on April 23, 2022
- Held an in person exhibition to celebrate the 2020 and 2021 winners of our annual Photo & Illustration Contests
- Performed maintenance on the rain gardens in the Reedy Creek parking lot at the Harrison Ave entrance
- Held three native plant sales selling over 500 native flowers, shrubs and trees
- Donated white and shumard oak and red maple trees to Umstead State Park. Ranger Nick planted them near the Reedy Creek parking lot - check them out next time you visit
While there was much to celebrate, we still have a lot to do to ensure the Odd Fellows Tract is preserved and wildlife is protected in Umstead State Park. For example, in June, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service listed the Neuse River Waterdog salamander as “Threatened.” The Neuse River waterdog salamander has been documented in the past in Crabtree Creek within Umstead State Park. In March 2021, a NCDOT contractor documented it in Crabtree Creek just downstream of our Park. We have every reason to believe it still lives in Umstead.