Thank you for your recent signature on the important petition asking the RDU Airport Authority (RDU AA) to protect Umstead State Park, Lake Crabtree County Park, and the 400+ acres of adjacent forest from being developed into hotels, offices, parking lots, and a quarry. Your signature was valuable in getting the attention of the RDU AA! We need your help once again: The ninth public workshop in the Vision 2040 Master Plan process is quickly approaching. At this workshop, the RDU AA and the Master Plan consultants from Ricondo & Associates Inc. will present the final preferred plan for public review and comment. Once finalized later this year, the final preferred plan will guide RDU’s development and improvements over the next 25 years. Thus, we must encourage the planners to document the idea of a trail center within the Master Plan. It is imperative that we have a large presence at this meeting to show support for the development of the “RDU Forest Trail Center.” The public is invited to provide feedback at the meeting, but just your presence will speak volumes! Please come to show your support and voice your opinions!! Tuesday, Oct. 11th, 6-8 p.m, at Marriott RTP, 4700 Guardian Dr, Durham, NC. We are hoping to collaborate with the RDU AA and are proposing the creation of a community asset and tourism destination, the “RDU Forest Trail Center.” This visionary approach will involve diverse public/private partnerships that will provide the RDU airport with a constant, sustainable, and substantial revenue source (brewery, cafe, bike rentals, outdoor retail, hotel, parking, conference/educational center). Further, we strongly oppose the proposed quarry adjacent to both Umstead State Park and Crabtree Creek given its devastating damage to water quality and quantity in Crabtree Creek and given it will only to become a nonrevenue-producing burden in a couple of decades. We also strongly oppose building a runway 400 feet closer to Umstead State Park, which would take park land via noise. Let’s get out there this Tuesday and voice our opinions! The future of this community and community asset depends on it. Sincerely, www.rduforesttrailcenter.com Umstead Coalition Triangle Off Road Cycling