11/11/04 Preserving the Haw River Trail design guidelines complete By James Moffat Times-News Hiking trails, canoe docks, outdoor laboratories. All of these and more are what environmental enthusiasts see on the horizon for the Haw River. Now, the group primarily responsible for the renewed interest in cleaning and restoring the river has a plan to do it. The Haw River Land and Trail Association has developed design guidelines for the Haw River Trail, a report on how the county can develop the trail for cultural, educational and economic uses. The report was developed through a grant awarded to the group by the United States National Parks Service. Numerous local, state and federal agencies, as well as community groups and Elon University students contributed to the report. "It looks like there's no way you can stop this trail," said Mike Holland, a member of the association. "There's a lot of support for this." Bill Lane of the National Parks Service said the report was aimed at designing the Swepsonville Haw River Park, an 18-acre park that will feature canoe access points and nature trails. Lane said the report contains "minimum standards" that should be followed when constructing the Swepsonville park and others that are built in the future. The design guidelines include placement of natural surface hiking trails, clear marking systems, the removal of man-made dams along the Haw River and, most importantly, inventory of all existing natural, historical and cultural resources along the river. He said the guidelines would help keep the river's edge from "land degradation," such as land-clearing developers, all-terrain vehicles that have torn through the area for years, and companies that dump chemicals and other pollutants into the river. "Everything is basically being destroyed and wiped out," Lane said. Lane said if implemented properly, the design guidelines could build the region's eco-tourism economy, much like it has in Roanoke Rapids, just south of the Virginia-North Carolina border. "Maybe the Haw River can do that, too," Lane said. "It's just about getting back to nature and getting away from all those urban areas." Holland, who is vice president of BioQuest Marketing and Business Development, an environmental education firm, said the report will help drive the idea of creating the river-long trail and "get people to say, 'They've got something there.'" "This document is really going to be the momentum to keep this project going," Holland said. "There's no end to where it can go." For years, Holland and other members of the Haw River Land and Trail Association have been advocating the protection and cultivation of the river. Through the guidelines, the group hopes to move closer to its goal of creating a 140-milelong trail system spanning the Haw River. The river trail has already received support from many local sources. The cities of Graham and Burlington have agreed to put in public canoe access points along the river. Glen Raven Inc. has donated land. Bill Powell helped purchase two acres along the river in Swepsonville. "There's a lot of municipal support for this," Holland said. "There's no reason why this can't be done rapidly if we have the commitments." James Moffat can be reached at james_moffat@link.freedom.com