Drought 2007 Effects on the Museum Trails, Raleigh NC

The drought of 2007 has place central North Carolina between storms off the coast and floods in the interior cities. Some years we have a period of clear dry hot weather. This is one of those years when the sun and wind have conspired to toast the region.

Consistent with my love of the greenways, I wondered how the drought was affecting the trails. The Museum Trails in the center of the Reedy Creek Trail System are the most interesting set of trails for lovers of both the outdoors and art.

These trails connect the Reedy Creek Trails, which start in Cary and cross Umstead State Park, with the Raleigh Greenway system trails going south and east through Meredith College and North Carolina State University.

Because the trails are both part of the Raleigh Greenway System and the NC Art Museum Park trails, they present a unique blend of two cultures often in conflict.

Some bikers and hikers may prefer that "Greenway" trails be natural and serene. On the other hand, some art lovers would like to see the trails used to exhibit unique and different art objects to thrill their "creative" side.

The Museum has done some of both, which will probably satisfy no one. The trails pass by the construction site of the Museum's new building. Then it passes along rows of stately pine trees.

Sitting in the shade of the trees, one can find coarse metal benches built by artists that are as uncomfortable as they look.

Along the trail at key points, giant (I mean really giant) art objects are placed in temporary display. To art lovers this can be a real treat. To outdoor types it may not have the same value.

There are side trails that bring hikers to neat objects like the Cloud Chamber where you get a chance to see what it is like being inside a camera. This can be a real distraction if you are trying to reach a distance and time goal.

With natural restoration of wild areas and wooded trails, the Museum is doing a credible job of balancing the zaniness of artists with the pragmatism of naturalists.

To the new visitor, it may not seem as though the drought has done much to the trails and the park. This is not quite the case. In the woods, the drought has given kudzu, a tree killing vine, a huge edge over the native vines. While ivy and other vines are withering; kudzu is flowering. With the help of native birds it is planting a new year's worth of death for forest trees near the Museum.

The drainage pond, which nourishes the park stream, has lost enough water that it is flowing only at a trickle into the park stream. This stream is approaching a point of stagnation as water droplets try to flow just a few feet more.

The Museum trails are dry, clear and in good order. The environment that makes a greenway is looking to the sky for a little help. Not a flood mind you; just fifteen or twenty inches of steady rain over a few weeks would be nice.