Northeast Creek Streamwatch

Three people met at the Parkwood library

Northeast Creek Basin Archaeology Book

The group discussed producing a book to explain the artifacts found in the Northeast Creek basin.

Earth Day

The group discussed having the usual cleanup on Saturday, April 25th in the afternoon. The group is considering adding the O’Kelly Church Road bridge and also cleaning along Burdens Creek between Audubon Park and Alexander Drive. EPA, which is located in RTP and on Burdens Creek, is planning to do something for Earth Day in RTP; the group discussed the possibility of community cleanups along the North Branch, which runs through Meridian Park and Penrith to the west of NC 55.

IBM invited Northeast Creek Streamwatch to participate in their Earth Day events again. We are looking for volunteers who can help table on April 22 and 23.

The Durham Sustainability Office wants to have a Creek Week that week also, and we discussed possible hikes that we might do on the date of the Earth Day cleanup.

NC Department of Transportation Issues

The group discussed how to get the NC DOT to mark Northeast Creek with a few signs and whether it is possible to adopt roads.

We also discussed the toll road planned for RTP. It is virtually approved, but the economic crisis has delayed it. Stopping it requires lobbying the General Assembly.

Letters on Jordan Lake Survey

On behalf of Northeast Creek Streamwatch, Michael Pollock sent a letter to Julie Ventaloro at the Division of Water Quality and to the County Commissioners; and a version of this letter was printed in the Herald-Sun last week. The Herald-Sun published a letter from the Durham People’s Alliance on Wednesday. The group is continuing to monitor this action that would affect Northeast Creek as well as New Hope Creek.

Development Notices

Reconciliation United Methodist Church has applied for rezoning at the northeast corner of Martin Luther King Parkway and Fayetteville Road. The group discussed whether to comment on this action in the Northeast Creek basin. A decision will be made after the group sees the site plans.

Planning Commission Vacancy

Friday, January 30 is the deadline for people to volunteer for service on the Planning Commission, which has lost its South Durham representative.

Hikes

We are planning wildflower hikes in March, probably in conjunction with stream monitoring.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be at the Parkwood Library, February 25, at 7 pm.

The following statement reflects the position of the members of Northeast Creek Streamwatch, as expressed at our last meeting.

Northeast Creek Streamwatch (www.northeastcreek.org) is concerned about the County Commissioners’ decision to accept a survey of Jordan Lake’s critical watershed funded by an interested developer.

This is an obvious conflict of interest, and the survey benefits the developer, while putting about 350 other Durham properties into the protected area. The Commissioners, other than Heron and Reckhow, are setting a bad precedent for the creeks around Jordan Lake. The proposed high-density 751 Assemblage will make it harder to improve water quality at that end of the Lake, which has been on the EPA’s Impaired Waters list since 2002, as well as increasing traffic on gridlocked Stagecoach Road and smog, in an otherwise forested rural area.

Northeast Creek Streamwatch supports the Durham County Manager, Planning Director, Attorney, and the Chatham County Commissioners in advocating an independent survey. I think this is coming before the Commissioners again this month and there is still time to ask Julie Ventaloro, at the State Division of Water Quality, to reject the County’s decision. Proponents of the survey argued that this saves money, but what about the future costs of cleaning up Jordan Lake, extra costs for treating drinking water, and the public infrastructure needed for new development on Durham’s periphery?

Michael Pollock
for Northeast Creek Streamwatch

There were five people at the meeting.

Parkwood Christmas Parade

Nine people were in the Northeast Creek Streamwatch unit. The Great Blue Heron walked this year, and we also had the classic car again.

Jordan Lake Normal Pool Boundary Survey

A member reported that Durham County has accepted a re-survey of the Lake Jordan normal pool. The survey was paid for by a developer who wants to build a residential and commercial development at the corner of Highway 751 and Stagecoach Road. If the survey is accepted it will mean the developer can build on more acres of the property, which includes a forested inventory site. The construction will send more sediment into Jordan Lake along New Hope Creek. Although this development is not in the Northeast Creek basin, the re-survey will affect development along Northeast Creek.

The NC Division of Water Quality must review the survey. The group decided to send a letter to the person reviewing the survey for the NC Division of Water Quality. We will also notify groups who were at the State of Our Waterways conference.

Draft Non-Profit Documents

The draft documents for incorporation as a non-profit are complete except for a decision about the initial board and a mailing address for the group.

Upcoming Events

The next business meeting will be Wednesday, January 28th at 7 pm at the Parkwood Library.

Stream monitoring volunteers will leave from the Parkwood Library at 3 pm on Saturday, January 31, and Saturday, February 7.

Five people met at the Parkwood Branch Library.

Durham Brownfields Cleanup Grant

A member forwarded information about this to the listserver. Although the grant area is not within the Northeast Creek basin, we decided to comment on this to increase the chance of Durham getting the funds. This grant will help clean up sites that are toxic, but not as toxic a Superfund sites.

Parkwood Elementary School Waterwise Garden

The garden is almost done and is dedicated as a gift from Northeast Creek Streamwatch and friends.

North Carolina Big Sweep

Somewhere around thirty people participated again this year, working in Audubon Park (sponsored by the Audubon Park homeowners association), the stream feeding Parkwood Lake, the Highway 54 bridge, and the Grandale bridge.

Parkwood Christmas Parade

Northeast Creek Streamwatch will again have a unit in the Parkwood Christmas Parade. We have found a volunteer to don the nine-foot tall Great Blue Heron costume.

Three people met at the Parkwood Branch Library.

Meeting with UNC Archaeologist

In discussion with the UNC Archaeologist, we found that the donated artifacts are identified correctly. We discussed creating a display at the Library and creating a book using a print-on-demand web service, such as lulu.com for schools about the artifacts.

Environmental Education

The meeting examined the idea of creating posters (or even mobiles) of bird and other wildlife outlines for the schools.

Parkwood Elementary School Waterwise Garden

Volunteers mobilized by Northeast Creek Streamwatch members have completed construction of a terraced native garden on the corner of one of the buildings. The students help plant two native species of grasses and several native species of spring and fall flowers.

Non-profit Status Update

Comments about the narrative section of the IRS application will be considered in updating it. There was discussion about the best way to thoroughly review the forms and to raise money for the filing fees.

Snags Flyer for Newhall Village

A draft has been prepared for editing.

Development Update

Meridian Parkway Project - This goes before the City Council on October 6, and the group will send a letter.

There were six people at the meeting.

Archaeological Artifacts

One of our members donated artifacts found in the Northeast Creek basin. The group will meet with UNC archaeologist R.P. Stephen Davis to evaluate the significance of these artifacts.

North Carolina Big Sweep

North Carolina Big Sweep will be Saturday, October 4th, starting at 9am. Parkwood, Fairfield, and Audubon Park (which will have a separate cleanup starting at the Pool), and Parkwood, Lowes Grove, Hillside, Kestrel, Jordan, and Creekside have been or are being contacted.

Stream Monitoring

We will test in September, starting on the first Saturday. There are 5 sites to do, and each Saturday we can meet at 3pm at the Library and then go to the sites (Sedwick, Grandale, Sohi, 55, and O’Kelly Church).

Woodpecker Habitat (Dead Trees) Flyer for Newhall Village

We discussed a response to residents complaining about tall standing snags out in the nearby pond. We will create a flyer for distribution in this neighborhood. The flyer will emphasize that woodpeckers and other wildlife need dead trees and snags for habitat.

There were four people at the meeting at the Parkwood Library conference room.

Waterways publicity

An article about Northeast Creek and Northeast Creek Streamwatch was included in the City’s Waterways newsletter which comes with the water bill.

Non-profit status updates

The draft articles of incorporation and bylaws are complete, along with the IRS application, and a narrative description of the group and our activities; members are reviewing these documents.

Parkwood Elementary School Waterwise Garden

A total of $71 dollars has been donated to the Waterwise gardens project, and several members worked as volunteers on this project at the Parkwood Elementary School.

Stream Monitoring

The summer testing session is done, and the next will be in September. To save time and money, we discussed streamlining the process. Possibly we will test the oxygen levels at fewer sites. The City donated its ammonia test kit to us, but after June only one test is left, so we might not have this test to do next time. We also discussed scheduling tests for the rest of the year and letting people adopt sites.

Resolution for Environmental Amendments and Protection (REAP) to the Uniform Development Ordinance (UDO)

The meeting considered the text of the REAP request for the City and County to amend the UDO and coordinat with the State to improve laws that limit what local governments can do for conservation. The Resolution has been placed on the Northeast Creek Streamwatch listserver.

Several groups have endorsed the REAP, and the City and County are aware of the effort. A number of neighborhood and stream monitoring groups have endorsed the resolution.

The meeting voted to endorse the resolution and send a letter to the County Commissioners and City Council.

Meeting with County’s Sustainability Division Manager

Ten people, including Northeast Creek Streamwatch members, met with the County’s Sustainability Division Manager to discuss desired amendments to the UDO, which is undergoing a review.

Development Follow-Up

Meridian Parkway / Highway 55 - A member will investigate the site plan. This office project is on mostly floodplain north of I-40, where Holloway Creek from Barbee Road joins the rest of NE Creek at the west side of Meridian Parkway off of Highway 55.

Davis Drive - The meeting decided not to officially comment on this.