On Thursday, January 16, 2020, NC State Parks gave an offer to RDUAA to buy Tract 286 and add it to Umstead State Park. The RDUAA did not accept their offer. 

NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Chief Deputy Secretary D. Reid Wilson said in the letter:

"However, a fence as proposed presents multiple problems for the park and its users: 

• The proposed fence would bisect the park's popular "Reedy Creek Multi-Use Trail in two places; the trail is used by tens of thousands hikers, cyclists and equestrians every year, and it would be far too expensive for the park to move the trail;
• By creating a permanent eyesore and marring the look and "feel" of the park, the proposed park would greatly harm a fundamental purpose of the park, namely to provide public access to a natural setting for people to enjoy nature and improve their physical and mental health; 
• The degradation of the visitor experience would likely create among trail users a negative impression of the airport; 
• Because the proposed fence would cross four large streams, 19 small streams, and 29 temporary streams or ditches, it would damage stream banks, wetlands, and water quality downstream in Umstead Park;
• The proposed fence would block movements of wildlife, effectively trapping them between airport fences;
• The proposed fence may constitute an adverse effect to the park's status on the National Register of Historic Places, which could trigger review and requirements under federal or state law"

Read the full NC State Parks letter to RDU here.