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Mill Mountain Management Plan
(large file--zone descriptions are on pages 48-53)
Mill Mountain Maps
Sample Conservation Easement |
Preserving
Mill Mountain and Carvins Cove
City of Roanoke donates easement
on Mill Mountain
On June 21, 2010, the
Roanoke City Council voted to place most of Mill Mountain under a
protective conservation easement. This represented the culmination of
years of hard work by the Land Trust and supporters and friends of Mill
Mountain.
In September 2009, the
City of Roanoke donated a second easement on the remainder of Carvins
Cove, bringing the total under easement to 11,363 acres--the largest
conserved tract of land in Virginia at the time! In April 2008 the City
of Roanoke placed the first 6,185 acres of Carvins Cove Natural Reserve
in a conservation easement. Situated just northeast of the City and located
in Roanoke and Botetourt Counties, Carvins Cove makes up a vital part of
the Roanoke Valley’s water supply and is also a prime location for
outdoor recreation, including hiking, canoeing, fishing, and mountain
biking. This forward-thinking action has helped to showcase Roanoke as a
green city that is attractive to people who want to enjoy the outdoors. 
The Board of the Western
Virginia Land Trust (WVLT) approved a policy statement in July 2007
requesting that the City of Roanoke place conservation easements on Mill Mountain
and Carvins Cove.
The Board of the Land
Trust advocated and supported placing a conservation
easement on the forested slopes of Mill Mountain. While over 550 acres
of Mill Mountain were ideally suited to an open space easement, the very
top of the mountain, or “Zone 1” in the Mill Mountain Management Plan,
was not suitable for an open space easement due to the extent of existing
development. While an easement was not the right tool to protect the
very top of Mill Mountain, WVLT did recommend that City Council implement
the recommendations for Zone 1 described in the Management Plan, which
included ensuring that all mountaintop development is below the tree line
and “respects the natural character of the mountain.”
 It
is important to understand that Zone 1 represents only 15 acres out of
the 568-acre park and includes the star, radio tower, Discovery Center,
parking lots, wildflower garden, an access road, and the Mill Mountain
Zoo. This portion of Mill Mountain is not appropriate for an open space
easement due to the difficulty of monitoring activity in such a highly
developed, intensively-used area.
“Roanoke is looking for
a way to sustainably grow and attract new business and new residents,”
said Holnback. “Permanently protecting these natural features makes a
bold statement about Roanoke’s commitment to its quality of life that no
other city in Virginia can make.”
Long-time Trustee and
current President Janet Scheid headed up the Land Trust’s committee that
was pursuing these initiatives. |
