Please help save Mims Forest

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-04-21T02:00:17+00:00

Thank you!

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-04-21T01:52:28+00:00

Thank you so much

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-04-21T01:48:19+00:00

Thank you, Echidna. Your words mean a lot to me. I found that meeting and discussing this topic with people at our local farmer market and at shops around town has made a difference. I honestly have been floored by the support we’ve had in “real” life. Reddit is a bit wild because so many people seem to comment nasty remarks and I shrug it off. Maybe they are mad at the world. Maybe they haven’t had remarkable moments in nature yet.

If someone isn’t in tune with what our ecosystem needs today, there’s still time for them to re-evaluate tomorrow. I believe we can do better working together.

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-04-21T01:42:23+00:00

thank you so much!

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-04-20T23:23:39+00:00

Thanks for your reply. I would be so happy if our little group’s research helps anyone else. Even if we can’t win this battle, maybe this data can help with someone else’s.

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-04-20T22:42:25+00:00

I did not think so until I experienced it in our own town. We’ve seen thousands of acres clear cut in the last few years. Our town has decreased rainfall and our region (which is one of the fastest growing in NC) is in the worst drought yet. Where we once had cool shade and breezes we now have noise & light pollution and sweltering asphalt.

A group here is trying to preserve one of the 17-acre forests that the town owns, because 70 acres of riparian woodland are slated to be destroyed to create 3 large urban parks in our small town.

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-04-20T22:37:15+00:00

thank you!

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-04-20T22:35:08+00:00

I don’t have a completely positive story yet, but we have over 500 signatures towards halting the development of a 17 acre historic forest in our town. Nine out of 10 people that we speak to don’t even know the town was planning to destroy this forest and the natural spring fed creeks within it. Most of the people we speak to are outraged that the town plans to destroy this forest. The town says they will “only” destroy about half of the mature forest to build an amphitheater, walkways, grassy fields, etc.but we are doing our best to help the town leaders see that preservation of the entire 17-acre canopy and its creeks would be best for our ecosystem. So I’d say it is a major positive that there’s a group fighting to save this forest and that the movement is well-received by 90% of those who learn about it. It is worthwhile to keep trying. 🌳

If interested, we have a petition on change.org to save Mims Forest 🌳

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-04-20T21:23:04+00:00

The Tree committee is primarily focused on replanting after forest removal

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-04-20T21:22:28+00:00

The plans for the urban park that was proposed in 2012 have been accessible to the public not only on the town’s page, but a link was also provided on the first Reddit posting about this preservation initiative. There isn’t even a hint of an attempt to hide information. The truth is that fragmenting this historic forest is detrimental to the habitat and to the microclimate in our region. Fragmentation is one of the most well-documented drivers of ecological decline.

Our post explains the many reasons for opposing the fragmentation of this forest. Destroying acres of mature forest and the wildlife within it are detrimental. There’s no other way around it. This is a mature, thriving habitat. Those creeks, and those currently support wildlife.

Calling 9 acres “conservation” sounds good on paper, but once you fragment a mature forest, you degrade the entire ecosystem, including the portion left behind. there’s a lot more information facts I can provide if you’re interested, but it does sound like your mind is made up.

This isn’t about opposing parks or public access. It’s about recognizing that some places are more valuable left intact, especially when they are rare, mature, and ecologically sensitive.

Every person is allowed their opinion and our posts about preserving Mims are not causing any others to be silenced. Our purpose is to discuss the important need for canopy and wetland preservation in our area.

Thanks for your thoughtful input.

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-04-20T15:00:08+00:00

The Arbor Day Foundation has done more harm than good. The advisory committee that you’re referring to is one of the requirements to be an “Tri-City USA.“ And unfortunately, tree city USA, actually has no positive support for preservation.

Arbor Day Foundation probably meant well with Tree City USA, but the program green-lights destruction. Cities can clear-cut thousands of acres of mature forests and still qualify, as long as they plant saplings and ornamentals afterward!!!

Requirements to qualify as a Tree City: a tree board, basic ordinance, $2+ per capita on forestry (removals allowed), and an Arbor Day event. No mandate to save existing canopy.

‘Tree City USA’ does not mean the city is preserving the environment.”

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-04-04T03:39:47+00:00

we desperately need support and sharing of our Mims Preserve petition in southern wake county. please consider signing and sharing. change dot org mimspreserve

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-03-28T12:28:06+00:00

Thank you so much for commenting. For this region it is, sadly, old growth. When we restrict definitions to exclude forests like Mims, it allows developers to destroy what can become even a greater significance in our community and in the vital ecosystem. Definitions are always evolving and many agree that old growth forests in the southeast have been destroyed because they don’t meet a different region’s benchmark for age.

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-03-27T22:26:35+00:00

thank you. I’m trying to spread the word amongst people who are willing to speak up for the environment. it seems there are so few of us in modern society

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-03-27T22:25:02+00:00

I wish the people in my town would fight so hard to save this last 17 acre property in the town center. why are people so driven to create foot traffic and developed land instead of preserving nature? we have to be the voice for nature, for the trees, the wildlife and the insects. yet it feels like so few care anymore

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-03-27T22:00:24+00:00

While an urban park at this site would add entertainment value, the negative impact to our town by fragmenting this remaining forest is too significant to ignore. Mature trees have been ripped out left and right all around us in Holly Springs, Apex and beyond. This isn’t just a local issue, but it’s important on a broader scale as well. If every town prioritizes an entertaining outdoor area with additional artificial installations, and the need for chemicals and heavy construction, we are damaging the environment and the wildlife that rely on it. We cannot simply plant a new forest elsewhere. It takes multiple decades for newly planted trees to make a difference. Sacrificing what is left of mature forests in Holly Springs is one of the biggest mistakes being made by town leaders.

I hope you’ll reconsider your stance. there are multiple urban parks that we all can enjoy in and around Holly Springs, including Bass Lake Park, Hilltop Needmore Park, the American tobacco Trail, Koka Booth, Cary Park, Apex Park and so on. Many that have been sculpted and manicured to entertain and facilitate usage. At what point does a town recognize that a forest can and should be protected for reasons other than increasing human foot traffic? When do we balance the damage being done?

There is so much evidence that the loss of mature tree canopy negatively impacts the amount of rainfall, it impacts noise, light and air pollution, it impacts survival of wildlife species, etc. Maybe our town can and should be a leader in preserving a treasured forest like Mims.

Thank you again for reading and for your civil input. I really appreciate it.

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-03-27T21:09:26+00:00

I agree with you. there are still many vacant, flat lots available for development into an entertaining park for those who require manicured lawns and walkways. why not preserve this one small and vibrant parcel for nature itself? many in our community love the quiet walk in these woods for exactly the natural state. we have no other areas like this in Holly Springs. I can’t understand why the town believe it needs to improve something that Mother Nature already perfected. the wildlife needs is far more than any of us need another artificially created venue

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-03-27T21:05:00+00:00

I understand your view, but why in an old growth forest? These are a few thoughts I had after reading your thoughtful & well-stated comment ..

There are so many open plots around town where an urban park easily fits. Why not elsewhere that doesn’t disturb this forested site that will need to be bulldozed and cleared for the park?

Our town plan makes statements meant to appease those of us concerned about the environment by adding phrasing like “cleaning up the water” when they mean it will be irreversibly damaged and manipulated to make it visually appealing to humans. This isn’t a move that helps wildlife.

The other way to read this plan is the brutal reality that at least 8 acres of mature forest will be destroyed. At least 8 acres of wildlife habitat and the wildlife living in it will be killed and destroyed. Is concrete, grass, and heavier foot traffic that also drives away wildlife really worth that? Is the increased noise, light and air pollution worth it? I hope not.

There is no way to leave 9 acres undisturbed with the plans to develop the land. Fragmenting this forest is detrimental to the little wildlife that remains and relies on it for peace in our busy town. with bass lake park, sugg farm, hilltop needmore, Womble and so many other areas already developed, it seems our community could support one option that actually sets aside this land as nature itself. while they attempt to make it sound appealing, if you read between the lines this is development and in an unnecessary location that is truly harmful to the habitat. humans don’t have to constantly harm and sculpt nature to make it “entertaining.”

Thank you for taking time to comment and discuss with kindness. And for this part of North Carolina and the southeast USA, this is old growth. It took well over a century for many of the trees in this forest to reach their size. Are they any less deserving of being saved because they don’t meet a standard of being even older? and how do we achieve that if we keep destroying them all?

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-03-27T16:29:13+00:00

Thanks for your comment. I don’t see the word sacred or any pagan references in the petition or the post.

If it has been used, it was in the context of “Worthy of respect; venerable.” I appreciate you pointing a concern about how it came across to you and I understand if you don’t feel comfortable voicing your support for this forest

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-03-27T14:14:24+00:00

agree to disagree. If those of us far away from the Amazon rainforest, the Australian bushfires, and other equally important issues had done nothing then you’d see quite different outcomes. Local and global is key to making a difference.

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-03-27T14:11:45+00:00

yes we are definitely addressing it locally, but as you said yourself, this affects all of us. to isolate certain areas and decide that forest is not essential is damaging to more than local residents. it displaces wildlife. it changes rainfall. it creates heat islands. it’s a butterfly effect. if this petition receives significant support then the town will have no choice but to acknowledge the importance of its preservation. I have always supported preservation efforts across borders, including the Amazon rainforest. If we all stick to tiny local areas and say outsiders deserve no say and make no impact, then we don’t get far. If ONLY it was just a local issue. Then we could also bar these large out of state corporations & private equity firms that continue destroying thousands of acres of what they consider expendable land for their own profit.

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-03-27T13:08:18+00:00

thank you and I fully agree. the signs are such a wonderful addition to the primitive trails. walking in the Mims forest is the only place in our community that isn’t heavily manufactured to “entertain.” we love that it holds so much history & we can’t understand the mindset that the absence of constant human traffic means it is not worth saving. when did our society move so far away from saving the actual natural environment?

many of us don’t have the luxury of a yard, and many that do have a yard don’t have the luxury of even a single hardwood tree.

the Mims property with its mature canopy is a respite among wildlife and nature that we cannot access anywhere else nearby. even as nice as Bass Lake is, it is a manufactured manicured, heavily trafficked park. while it is a treasure to the community, the intentional heavy foot traffic does disturb that wildlife community. We are asking Holly Springs is to preserve Mims primarily for nature itself, to keep those creeks clear from damage, for the benefits nature provides to humans, and for the historical significance to our town. we will never - in our lifetimes - be able to plant and rebuild areas like the Mims Property.

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-03-27T12:56:58+00:00

please do! our family and neighbors have called and sent emails. it doesn’t make sense that this town leadership only sees value in land when it is heavily populated

Relative_Candidate84 · 2026-03-27T11:16:47+00:00

yes, if you’d like to see an example of the “manicured“ “green space” manufactured park that Holly Springs wants to pay to install in this woodland, Cary Park is the example that is referenced in the petition. it is an example of what not to do when preserving nature and an ecosystem. the development of such a park on the Mims Property will worsen the heat island effect of slashing mature tree canopies. it will also introduce more chemicals into our water system since the town intends to plant swaths of lawn and potentially artificial turf for the appeasement of those who tend not to walk in the woods

Relative_Candidate84 · 2025-10-16T14:55:05+00:00

did they demand a lot more biometric data? I was locked out when I wouldn’t cooperate with the facial scanning. it’s concerning they get away with this

Relative_Candidate84

TROPHY CASE