Beautiful Open Space Still Exists in Guilford County

I am a fairly new member of the Guilford County Open Space Committee .

Above are two photos I took yesterday of the Baynes tract, off of Haw River Rd., that is a real gem. It contains a wonderful stream, tumbling water down steep rock formations, high bluffs and great wildlife and wild flowers.

The open space program was proposed by Jack Jezorek, Maxine Dalton, Bill Ross and several other folks in 1999. The Guilford County Board of Commissioners created the Open Space Committee in July of 2000 to act in an oversight role for acquiring open space in Guilford County. In 2004 voters in Guilford County approved a bond fund of $10 million to preserve open space.

Open Space is defined by the committee as "land in a predominantly undeveloped condition, including forests, wetlands, stream corridors, managed meadows and agricultural areas."

Some benefits of Open Space:
Protects water quality
Recharges ground and surface water
Improves air quality
Preserves plant and animal habitats
Offers low-impact recreation (hiking, birding,etc.)
Connects people with nature

The biggest success of the Guilford County Open Space Committee is the Haw River State Park. The Open Space Committee conceived the idea of a state park in Guilford County; officially nominated the Haw River corridor in 2001; and worked with the Guilford delegation to the General Assembly to pass House Bill 1025 for the park in 2003. Significant additional land is still being added to this developing park.

Several wonderful properties (including the Baynes tract above) have been purchased for open space in Guilford County with the selection and recommendation of the Open Space Committee, then with approval of the Guilford County Parks and Recreation Commission and with the final approval of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners.

Information should be available soon on the new, wonderful proposed Morton/Richardson project off of Plainfield Rd. If approved the state funded Mountains-to-Sea Trail should connect through this area and eventually allow hiking from downtown Greensboro to the Haw River State Park.