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Eno Drive public hearing, Thursday 7 PM!



Hi Carolinabirders,

My apologies to all of you who live in the mountains, in South Carolina,
or otherwise far from the Triangle; but since Triangle residents
constitute such a disproportionate number of subscribers here, it seems
worth posting. Many folks here bird regularly at one part or another of
Eno River State Park (Few's Ford, West Point, etc.) or at other points
along the Eno River (Occoneechee Mountain, Penny's Bend). The public
hearing described below, as well as at the Eno River Association's website
http://www.enoriver.org/
http://www.enoriver.org/eno/EnoDriveFight.htm
concerns a development that could make the number of bird species (to say
nothing of salamanders, molluscs, dragonflies, etc.) along the Eno River
significantly smaller.

The Eno Drive is an ill-conceived project proposed over 3 decades ago that
has been rejected multiple times since on the basis of its proximity to
the Eno River and negative impacts on the wildlife there, as well as the
more general issues of sprawl, development, traffic, etc. that always
apply to such projects. It keeps coming back to life because the original
short-sighted legislation created funding *only* for Eno Drive, and so
NCDOT stubbornly keeps trying to push this project through the local
government because otherwise they might lose their grip on the pot of
money involved.

Anyway, the newest attempt will undergo a public hearing this Thursday at
7 PM. I'm hoping to speak there, but since elected officials are most
convinced by a show of numbers, as many other folks as possible should do
so as well. Folks who bird along some part of the Eno regularly would
especially help, as would those who can represent some local birding- or
conservation-oriented group (Audubon Society chapters, conservancies,
Carolina Butterfly Society, stores that sell birding supplies, etc.). In
order to speak, be there by 6:45 PM, sign in with the clerk, and make your
point in 3 minutes or less.

See you there,

Josh

Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Biology (Zoology, R.I.P.)

jsr6@duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2002 15:28:12 -0400
From: Noland H. Martin <Noland.Martin@duke.edu>

The following is a message from Lori Olson (Executive Director, Eno River
Association)... She is requesting your presence at an upcoming public
hearing on Eno Drive (see below).  This will be THE environmental vote of
this year for our local delegation, and the outcome of this vote will
affect the development of Durham county forever... for good or for bad.

******************************

Eno River Enthusiasts:

This email is to let you know of a public hearing on Eno Drive
scheduled for Thursday June 13 at 7:00pm at the Hillandale Staff
Development Center at 2107 Hillandale Road in Durham. (near the Carver
Street / Hillandale Road intersection)

PLEASE COME to voice your concerns about Eno Drive. This meeting will
be a turning point in the fate of this project and the City Councilors
and County Comissioners need to hear from you!

Visit our web site at
http://www.enoriver.org
and click on "Eno Drive Public Hearing June 13" for more information and
to view a consultant report that the ERA has produced in order to
challenge DOT's assumptions and findings on the Northern Durham Parkway
and Eno Drive. The direct link for the Pechan report is:

http://www.enoriver.org/eno/PechanReport.htm

Thanks for your support and for working to protect the Eno!!