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Orange-Chatham Group (and Selected Other) Events

Executive Committee Election Results

Bill Bracey, Judith Ferster, Olga Grlic, and Howard Krasnow were elected to two-year terms on the Orange-Chatham Group's Executive Committee. Their terms last until December 31, 2016. Thanks to them for volunteering to be on the committee! And thanks also to Jason Baker and Dave Keesee, who chose not to run again but have contributed greatly to the group and continue to serve in other roles.

OCG Has a New Website

We have a new website that's more coordinated with the websites belonging to other parts of the Sierra Club, with a new address: http://www.sierraclub.org/north-carolina/orange-chatham/. Thankfully, if you go to the old address, you should be redirected to the new one.

Let us know what you think!

Rural Buffer Meeting: Lots of Answers But Still More Questions

Published April 6, 2015; based on Brian Wittmayer's write-up of the March 2 meeting.

The discussion started off with an overview of the history of the rural buffer and the rationale for including Agricultural Support Enterprises in the Rural Buffer.

Brian Wittmayer summarized the primary benefits of the rural buffer, which include:

• The rural buffer has, since 1987, been an effective tool in containing sprawl – without it Orange County might look much like Southern Wake County (Cary & Apex) – because of it we are unique and distinct from much of the rest of the Triangle region;
• We have the opportunity to drive 5-10 minutes in almost any direction and be in the countryside surrounded by working farms;
• The low density uses allowed have preserved tree canopy and natural habitat, and;
• The rural buffer coupled with the University Lake watershed regulations have protected our water supply.

Read the whole thing.

Where we are with fracking

Published March 1, 2015; written by Judith Ferster, OCG Conservation Chair

We are following the possibility of fracking in Chatham, Lee, and other counties, paying special attention to people attending the meetings of the Mining and Energy Commission as it writes the regulations that will guide it.  The NC General Assembly went back on its word to refrain from lifting the ban on fracking until all the rules were written.  They lifted the ban before the rules were complete, but some think rules could never be strong enough to guarantee that groundwater could not be contaminated.  The vulnerable points of the operation such as the cement casing around the vertical pipes may always be vulnerable to failure.

Read the whole thing.

Looking back at 2014, forward to 2015

Published March 1, 2015 but written in early January; written by Judith Ferster, OCG Conservation Chair

2014 saw the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the federal Wilderness Protection Act and the 30th anniversary of the North Carolina Wilderness Protection Act.  To commemorate the former, we showed Forever Wild, a film narrated by Robert Redford, on October 15 at Carolina Meadows.  To commemorate the latter, we had a talk by Robbie Cox, past national and OCG chair, at the OCG Holiday Party on December 14 at the Arcadia Common House.  Both presentations had beautiful pictures of photogenic wild lands and both stories involved not only governments but also passionate citizens bringing attention to lands that ought to be saved.

Read the whole thing, including more about the NC Sierra Club's conservation priorities for 2015.