Save the Date

• Stream Monitoring - O’Kelly Church Road, Saturday, September 27, 3pm, meet at Parkwood Library Parking Lot

Water Quality Recovery Program Plan PDF (27 pp, 568K)

For more information, contact Michelle.Woolfolk), 919-560-4326 ext 30219

751 Assemblage Update

The controversy over the re-survey of the Lake Jordan full-stage pool is of interest to Northeast Creek Streamwatch because the results of this might determine how similar controls might be applied in development applications for areas of Northeast Creek. Those areas of concern mostly lie in Chatham County, but the Durham County action could be a statewide precedent.

In the latest news, the developers have indeed sued Durham County, several BOCC commissioners individually, and the county attorney individually. The law firm handling the suit for the developers has come under press scrutiny because former County Commissioner Lewis Cheek is now practicing development and rezoning law for that firm, although by legal rules he must avoid conversations about this case. Haw River Assembly has contracted a separate survey (and is still accepting donations to cover the cost). On the comparison between the two surveys, County Manager Mike Ruffin claims that the state prefers that surveys of reservoirs use the method used by the developer’s surveyor.

Streamwatch Signs

NCDOT has put up “Northeast Creek” signs at the bridges on NC 54 and Sedwick Road. The meeting discussed putting the NCDWQ Stream Watch signs on the posts of these new signs. NCDWQ sent the Stream Watch signs directly to Northeast Creek Streamwatch.

National Night Out

Many neighborhoods in the Northeast Creek basin are going to observe National Night Out in August. The meeting discussed whether to try to table at these events.

Durham Public Schools - Scott King Road School Site

Northeast Creek Streamwatch is preparing a plan for Durham Public Schools for rescue of native plants, with a possible view to replanting some of them as the primary landscaping at the new school when constructed. Native plans have the advantage of being low maintenance and adapted to the local changes in the climate. This effort will require volunteers and training by those who have experience in plant rescue. It will require scheduling the appropriate time to rescue the plants from DPS property, coordination of entry of Northeast Creek Streamwatch volunteers with Durham Public Schools, storage of the rescued plants to be incorporated into the new school landscaping. We are currently trying to get the best information from those who are experienced in plant rescue and develop administrative means for handling scheduling, liability waivers, and coordination with DPS.

Calendar

August Monthly Meeting, August 26, 2009, 7pm, Small Conference Room, Parkwood Library
September Dragonfly Watching, to be announced
North Carolina Big Sweep Stream Cleanup - October 3, 9am - 11am, meet in Parkwood Library Parking Lot for assignment to teams

Reports

The signs that were to be put up within the Durham city limits marking the Creek have not been put up yet; a member is checking with a contact at DOT about this.

Big Sweep is coming up in early October and we need to prepare for it.

There have been trash and drinking problems on the trail behind the Lotus Pond, and there are also bottles under the Grandale bridge.

Jordan Lake Boundary Survey

On June 9 the Durham Joint Planning Commission deferred their decision two months so the Haw River Assembly can fund a new survey. Haw River Assembly is still accepting donations. Commission Chair George Brine recused himself on this issue, after complaints by the developer’s lawyer. In the last few days the developer announced that it is suing Durham County for hindering the 751 Assemblage project.

City of Durham Water Quality Recovery Program Plan - Third Fork Creek and Northeast Creek

The last citizen advisory panel meeting for the spring was in May and based on the comments a plan on what to focus on and how will be prepared and presented in September. Third Fork Creek will be studied by Tetratech in the coming fiscal year. The plan ford Northeast Creek will detail the proposed actions to recover water quality on the creek.

Enviromapper

This EPA Geographic Information System shows catchments, the divisions within a basin.

Enviromapper link for Northeast Creek

Calendar

July Monthly Meeting: July 22, 7pm, Parkwood Library, Small Conference Room.

Northeast Creek Streamwatch will train new volunteers in stream monitoring.

Festival for Wildlife

Northeast Creek Streamwatch tabled all day and increased contact list. This also provided an opportunity to network with other individuals and groups interested in the environment: we spoke with a representative of a USDA program to put conservation easements on farms and timberlands and help fund stream restoration, and with members of the New Hope Creek Corridor Committee. During the event, members noticed blue-gray gnatcatchers taking food to a tiny lichen covered branch, second from the bottom on the west side of a pecan or walnut tree by Leigh Farm’s main house. There seem to be a lot of gnatcatchers around this spring.

Durham Public Schools Scott King Road Site Acquisition

The Durham County Commissioners decided to buy the old Scott Mill site for an elementary school a week or two ago. Melissa Rooney and Randal Haithcock, for Northeast Creek Streamwatch, were mentioned in the Herald-Sun article.

Jordan Lake Boundary Issue

There was an apparently poorly attended neighborhood meeting on May 1. Also, the appeal to the State Environmental Management Commission was withdrawn. The Division of Water Quality stands by its acceptance of the privately funded land survey. The next opportunity for citizen participation is on June 9.

Saturday, June 6, 7:00-10:30pm — Sunset-Full Moon Paddle on Jordan lake to benefit Haw River Assembly. The prices is $30 per person and includes equipment, instruction, guide, hot dog roast at island campfire and smores. Adults and teens. Contact 919-929-3805 for details and reservations.

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.

Contact Kayak Adventures (Susanne) at 919-929-3805 or 919-259-2241 for details.

Features on this part of Northeast Creek are:

• beaver lodges
• herons
• woodpeckers
• ospreys