Northeast Creek Streamwatch

Three members met at the Parkwood Volunteer Fire Department training room.

Northeast Creek Earth Week

On April 19, Michael Pollack led a hike upstream from Grandale Drive to the ridge to east. There were 7 people, including a Herald-Sun photographer. (The pictures were on the front page of the Durham section the Monday, April 20 edition.) May apples, jack in the pulpit, spring beauties, bluets were blooming. The group heard a lot of cricket frogs, saw a lot of dragonflies and some butterflies, and toward the end of the hike heard an owl.

On April 20, the Earth Week storytime that Northeast Creek Streamwatch held in the morning and the afternoon went well.

On April 21, Peter Schubert, a member who is also active in native plant preservation activities, talked to around eight people at the Parkwood Library about native flowers in the area and showed slides from the Jim Pullman collection and from his own slides.

On April 23, Art Hollander, a folk singer, performed a series of Earth Day songs (including Northeast Creek Streamwatch’s “Down by the Creek”) at the Parkwood library to a crowd of twenty.

The annual Earth Day cleanup was April 25. There were 8 kids and 4 adults. Junk, 2 big bags and about 8 small bags were picked up behind the Library, and another 2 big bags from the ponds on Euclid Avenue. Thee people picked up trash around the Grandale Bridge.

IBM Earth Day Tabling

On April 24, two representatives from Northeast Creek Streamwatch tabled and gave out about 50 cards with the website address, “Where is NE Creek?” flyers, “Sedimentation” flyers, and our business sponsor Kayak Adventures flyers.

Glaxo Earth Day Events

As part of Northeast Creek Earth Week, volunteers from Glaxo and City of Durham Stomwater environmental educator Laura Webb Smith conducted a cleanup in Parkwood and put “no dumping” decals on stormwater drains.

Festival for Wildlife, Leigh Farms

The second Festival for Wildlife, sponsored by the Piedmont Wildlife Center, was May 2. The group discussed what Northeast Creek Streamwatch’s participation would be and decided to table.

Jordan Lake Boundary Issue

There was a report about this continuing issue. The Durham County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) last November accepted the realignment of Jordan Lake normal pool boundaries as a result of a survey made by a private developer with an interest in a redefined boundary. There has been much controversy as a result of this action. From the perspective of protecting Northeast Creek, the issue is the arbitrary changing of long established definitions of the boundary of Jordan Lake in order to permit development that otherwise would not be permitted. The report was that the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission and the owner had been meeting and that private individuals in the environmental movement were raising money to underwrite the Durham BOCC in conducting an independent survey to be contracted by the County.

Durham Public Schools Scott King Road Site Acquisition

A site on Scott King Rd. near Herndon Rd., is being considered for one or two new schools. The land costs $2.9 million or $60,000 an acre, and the county commissioners are divided about authorizing the purchase. Durham Public Schools likes the site, but the cost is high compared to the assessed value. At a meeting with the real estate agent and DPS officials, representatives of Northeast Creek Streamwatch saw two possible site plans, with 1 school and with 2 schools. If an elementary school is built there, it will be for 600 students A middle school would require larger sports fields. DPS considers it impractical to get students to the fields at Herndon Park in a schools-parks arrangement. The Board of County Commissioners will discuss this at a work session Monday and then there will be a public hearing. DPS has invited Northeast Creek Streamwatch representatives to participate as part of the neighborhood design meeting when that occurs. The site is being “land banked” for now until DPS has funds for construction.

Development Updates

The meeting reviewed the status of the rezoning request currently before either the Durham City-County Planning Commission, the City Council, or the BOCC.

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