Protecting Blacksburg’s Natural Heritage

Residents of Blacksburg are blessed to live amidst a natural setting that provides breath-taking panoramic views of Brush Mountain, Prices Mountain, the Ellett Valley, and the Jefferson National Forest. The natural setting in which Blacksburg is situated is prized by residents as reflected in the following statements from Blacksburg’s Comprehensive Plan:

“Natural surroundings and open space - Residents place a high value

on natural open spaces and the views of the surrounding undeveloped

mountains. Protection of streams, natural vegetation, open spaces, and

scenic views will preserve this natural beauty for the enjoyment of

future generations.”

“As development pressures increase in Blacksburg, more open spaces and

agricultural areas will be lost unless they are included as features in

developments, or unless they are protected. Public support for preservation of

open space is growing and many citizens have expressed their willingness to take

steps to maintain the open space on their properties.”

Some of the specific goals of the Blacksburg Comprehensive Plan are to:

“Protect the region's scenic views, rural-community atmosphere, and natural

character by preserving large areas of open space throughout Town. …

Conserve and protect networks and corridors of natural vegetation, forest

cover, wildlife habitat, and undeveloped steep slopes…

Preserve and enhance all streams, wetlands, floodplains, and other water

features such as Stroubles Creek, Tom's Creek, and the Virginia Tech Duck

Pond, and incorporate them into the greenway system”

In pursuit of these goals, the Comprehensive Plan further calls for concerted efforts to:

“Acquire land, easements, or utilize other conservation measures along the

entire length of Tom's Creek to create a large greenway…

Encourage the provision of greenway linkages from the central greenway

along Tom's Creek to the rest of the basin and to other areas of Town as

properties are developed…

Apply for state and federal funds to rehabilitate and to restore degraded

wetland areas town-wide as identified in the natural environment database.”

The Town made significant progress in fulfilling these goals and objectives when, in 1997 it acquired a 169 acre former dairy farm adjoining the Toms Creek known as the “Brown Farm,” now Heritage Community Park and Natural Area. By approving the Master Plan for Heritage Park and Natural Area in 2002, the Town of Blacksburg made a substantial commitment to preserve and restore the Park as a natural area for the benefit of all of its residents. Heritage Park and Natural Area contains at least 12 different plant communities (or ecosystems) ranging from oak hickory successional forests to riparian wetlands through which the Toms Creek meanders. Bobcats, river otters, and beavers have visited or resided in the Park since the Town acquired it. Over 170 different bird species have been identified in the Park. As many as twenty natural springs are found on or near the Park, providing a flow of fresh water and aquatic life into various tributaries and wetlands of the Toms Creek, itself habitat for dozens of fish, mollusk and crustacean species. In early Springtime evenings the cacophony of Spring Peepers is deafening in the wetland areas surrounding the Toms Creek, offering a magnificent testimony to the resilience and perseverance of Nature in this rapidly growing town.

Clearly, the acquisition of Heritage Park and Natural Area supports the values expressed by Blacksburg’s citizenry in the Town Comprehensive Plan. Town leaders are to be commended for making this commitment. Yet, there remain many challenges to realizing the full potential of this “diamond in the rough” and Citizens First for Blacksburg is committed to actions that would ensure that this special place is managed as a “natural area” with priority given to preservation and restoration of the Park’s considerable natural landscapes. With the continuing support of area residents in such organizations as the Blacksburg Natural Heritage Foundation, we can continue to move toward a genuine natural area. Specifically, Citizen’s First supports the following measures:

o An Ecologically Sensitive Natural Area Management Plan. While there is a master plan providing an overall vision for the Park, as yet there is no plan or guidelines for how the Park should be managed. To manage a natural area with 12 different ecosystems is a complicated task and will require the guidance of qualified wildlife scientists and ecosystem specialists. Fortunately, the local university, Virginia Tech, has a world-renowned College of Natural Resources whose faculty offers a tremendous talent pool that should be tapped to assist in the formulation of a natural area management plan. We urge the Town to convene a task force of such scientists to prepare this plan.

o A LEEDs-certified Nature Center Building. The proposed nature center should be located on the periphery of the Park to minimize environmental impact and to increase access to utilities and the Huckleberry Trail that would serve such a building.

o A Thoughtfully Planned Internal Trail System. While the Master Plan calls for an extensive trail network throughout the Park, it is important that this network include an educational “interpretive nature trail,” and be planned to minimize environmental impact and discourage inappropriate uses (e.g. rollerblading, skateboarding, horse-back riding) in and around environmentally sensitive areas within the Park (e.g. wetlands). While complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements to ensure appropriate access for all Blacksburg residents, most of the trails in the Park should be constructed with natural materials providing pervious surfaces.

o Historic Cemetery Restoration Project. Heritage Park and Natural Area contains a small historic cemetery dating to nearly 1800. With the permission of the families whose ancestors are interred here, the Town should restore the cemetery grounds consistent with the “heritage” theme of this Park.

If you are interested in participating in any of these proposed initiatives. Please do not hesitate to contact Citizens First at citizensfirstforblacksburg.org, simply register and click Contact Us.

Heritage Park and Natural Area could become the “crown jewel” of Blacksburg’s attractions for visitors and residents alike. Blacksburg’s residents value this special place for what it is, an open space devoted to passive recreation in which visitors can enjoy the pleasures and benefits of an experience with Nature. Citizens First is dedicated to this vision for Heritage Park and Natural Area, and also to increasing the number of natural areas in Blacksburg, consistent with the values of the residents of our Town.

John Browder