The Independent Weekly: Act Now

Act Now

State of Open Space 2000, Wednesday, May 24: A public forum on smart growth, open space conservation, sprawl and the environment will be held as the Triangle Land Conservancy presents its "State of Open Space 2000" report. Featured speakers will include Cara Crisler of the Triangle Smart Growth Coalition; Robert Harper, president of the Triangle Greenways Council; Ben Hitchings, senior planner for the Triangle J Council of Governments; and Sig Hutchinson, chairman of the Wake County Open Space Advisory Board. The moderator of the forum will be NCSU Associate Professor of Forestry George Hess. Find out what has been done and what will be done about sprawl in our growing community at the meeting Wednesday. The meeting will be at the Community Church of Christ, on the corner of Wade Avenue and Dixie Trail in Raleigh, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Copies of the Conservancy's "State of Open Space 2000" report will be available at the forum and are also available by mail. Call 833-3662 for details.

May 24, 2000

Banning the Bomb, Saturday, May 27: In its 85th anniversary year, the Chapel Hill area branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is continuing its call for world peace through a series of consciousness-raising events. On Saturday, the group will screen and discuss a videotape made by the national chapter of WILPF about the 2000 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Attendees will talk about the status of nuclear weaponry in the world and how the United States is working to fulfill its commitment to eliminate all nuclear weapons. The meeting will be held at the Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Drive, at 10:30 a.m., and is open to the public. Call 942-7005 for more information.

Southeast High Speed Rail Information Session: The North Carolina Department of Transportation has been holding workshops in the Triangle to discuss the proposed high speed rail system that would connect Washington, D.C., Richmond, Raleigh and Charlotte. The information sessions gather input from the public and answer citizens' questions about the project. The last local meeting of the series will be held Tuesday, May 30, at the Durham School of the Arts, 400 N. Duke St. The meeting will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Call (877) 749-7245 for more information.

National Trails Day, Saturday, June 3: National Trails Day is a celebration of our country's parks and trails, so what better time to rededicate yourself to maintaining them? The American Hiking Society, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing and maintaining foot trails in the United States, organizes the annual event. As part of the company's commitment to nature and the local community, outdoor gear and clothing store REI, located in Cary, has teamed up with Umstead State Park and the Umstead Coalition to round up as many volunteers as possible to help clean up the trails in the large park. Helpers should wear long pants, sunscreen, bug repellent, gloves and closed-toe shoes. Park staff will provide the tools. Volunteers will meet at the picnic shelter on the Reedy Creek side of the park at 9 a.m. Interested folks should register with REI to ensure they're included in the snack at lunchtime. Call 233-8444 to register or for more information.

volunteer opportunities

ReEntry Wings Mentoring Program: Female volunteers are needed to spend time with and serve as role models for court-referred girls between the ages of 11 and 15. Volunteers will spend three hours a week doing various activities with their mentee for at least one year. Call 856-7527 for more information.

HopeLine: Volunteers are needed for the organization's three services: a 24-hour crisis line, Teen TalkLine for teen peer counseling, and PhoneFriend, a service for elementary school children home alone after school. HopeLine provides training. Call 832-3326 for details.