Please support the work to preserve Black Meadow Ridge and the environment of the West Point on the Eno park. Our expenses, including legal fees, continue to grow as the negotiations continue.
June 27, 2023: Press Release on Compromise Agreement
The Eno River Association, Horton Hills Homeowners Association, and Point Ridge Park, LLC have agreed on a compromise after nearly three years of work regarding the future of development on Black Meadow Ridge. The agreement will preserve over half of the historic ridge located next to West Point on the Eno Durham City Park, while the other half is to be developed into a residential community. (click here to view the full press release).
December 8, 2022: Durham BOA Appeal Postponed Again
The attorneys for Save Black Meadow Ridge and the developer/owner of the parcel are requesting that Durham’s Board of Adjustment continue our zoning appeal. This extension will allow negotiations to continue between the parties. We will continue to update this site and use our newsletter to keep you updated.
Annotated Reasons to Save Black Meadow Ridge
This 27 page compilation of the reasons to save Black Meadow Ridge includes history lessons and photos that illustrate the rich history and environmental value of these parcels and the West Point Park, and the Eno River itself. Download it, learn from it, and share it with others so they understand the importance of keeping this land as it is. Click here to download.
Margaret Nygard began her lifelong work over 50 years ago, protecting the Eno River and the land around it. Her family will always care about the Eno. The Nygards have written an urgent message which will be printed in the Indy Weekly for the Triangle community to rally behind. Please read their message so you can take direct action in the latest effort to save Black Meadow Ridge. It is essential you help the Eno River Association, Save Black Meadow Ridge, and the Durham Black Cemetery Coalition preserve Black Meadow Ridge as a part of the Cultural Heritage City Park at West Point on the Eno. Durham has a new Mayor who really cares about the environment and a new City Council. It is crucial that you make your voice heard to this new city administration. Please read the Nygards’ message and help. If the Triangle does not rally behind preserving the land to stop the clear-cutting of 50 acres of the Eno River Valley next to West Point on the Eno, it could be gone within weeks.
Act on Earth Day to Save Black Meadow Ridge
Reasons to Save Black Meadow Ridge
at West Point on the Eno City Park
I. ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS ~
1. Protection of the water quality in a critical watershed area which affects the Eno River, the source of drinking water for Falls Lake reservoir in Raleigh and the future Teer Quarry in Durham.
2. Preservation of the nationally significant Eno River Aquatic Habitat which contains endangered and threatened species, among them, the Neuse River waterdog, the yellow lamp mussel, the Roanoke bass aka the red-eye, the panhandle pebblesnail (Virginia pebblesnail), and the Atlantic pigtoe.
3. Preservation of the extensive wildlife corridor provided by the contiguous parklands of West Point on the Eno City Park and the Eno River State Park within our increasingly urbanized region. A conservation model for the state, this wildlife corridor gives animals passage into four counties and runs some 20 miles on the Eno, reaching beyond to the Falls of the Neuse Gamelands.
4. Protection from increased flooding at West Point, which will bring silt and pollution to natural habitat and will potentially damage the historic site, in particular the milldam and gristmill.
5. Preservation of a sizable unspoiled old forest, which mitigates climate change on a local level and provides the benefits of cleaning the water and air.
6. Renewed commitment by the City to the 50 year old conservation achievement of saving West Point on the Eno which has been of immeasurable benefit to Durham, the Triangle, and the State. By preserving Black Meadow Ridge as an intrinsic, historic part of West Point, the City will continue to protect the nationally significant cultural and natural heritage of West Point on the Eno City Park.
II. RECREATION BENEFITS ~
7. Providing equitable access to natural areas and nature trails by expanding the healthful quiet forest of West Point on the Eno City Park. As the city grows this park on the bus line provides access to an unspoiled, secluded natural place - an enhanced opportunity for all of Durham’s citizens to explore and enjoy.
8. Continuation of the water-related activities of swimming, fishing, wading and canoeing in the clean Eno River, which is dependent on keeping environmental protections in place. If the wildlife habitat is preserved, human use is enhanced, because the water is clean and safe for such recreation. Should the river’s water quality be degraded, these activities cannot continue to be safely enjoyed.
III. CULTURAL BENEFITS ~
9. Preservation of the historical identity of West Point on the Eno, keeping the rural character of 404 acres free of the intrusion of modern construction on the view-shed and preventing damage and alteration of the original topography, the historic mill, and its historic waterworks and the milldams. This living history museum is on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of Durham’s two Cultural Heritage Parks.
10. The preservation of an unspoiled place with Native American and African American history which predates the City and County of Durham. In 1878 Dilsey Holman, who had once been enslaved, bought 88 acres of this ridge, a notably large property for an African American woman in the time of Reconstruction.
11. Protection of the Holman Cemetery and preservation of the historic wagon trail which runs between the cemetery and the Buffalo Trail at West Point. Researchers are arriving at the conclusion that it was originally a slave cemetery, the final resting place for many from enslaved families who once lived there in association with West Point Mill and the McCown homeplace.
12. Protection of the historic character of the home, darkroom and surroundings of the now internationally recognized photographer Hugh Mangum. His egalitarian photographs from the late Victorian period feature Black and White, young and old, rich and poor, side-by-side, for he welcomed all into his studio. He left us many scenic photographs of West Point, which include West Point Mill in the 1908 flood and the Sennett Hole, itself a millsite predating 1752.
If you want even more details, read this annotated version.
For these and many more reasons, contact Durham city officials and tell them to do everything in their power to protect Black Meadow Ridge.
Here are the email addresses you can use:
Mayor Elaine M. O’Neal: Elaine.O'Neal@durhamnc.gov
General address for City Council: council@durhamnc.gov
Individual Council Members:
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Mark-Anthony Middleton: Mark-Anthony.Middleton@durhamnc.gov
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Javiera Caballero: Javiera.Caballero@durhamnc.gov
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DeDreana Freeman: DeDreana.Freeman@durhamnc.gov
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Jillian Johnson: Jillian.Johnson@durhamnc.gov
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Leonardo Williams: Leonardo.Williams@durhamnc.gov
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