A Roanoke County resident described as "not a wealthy person" but "a normal citizen who cares about the environment" is increasing the size of Happy Hollow Gardens Park by 50 percent with a gift announced Tuesday.

Sarah Martin, who teaches math at Virginia Western Community College, bought the ridgeline property adjacent to the Southwest Roanoke County park in 2004 after being dismayed by residential and commercial development encroaching on the neighborhood.

The Board of Supervisors accepted the donation Tuesday, on the condition that the property be left essentially in its natural forested state as a habitat for wildlife. It will have primitive woodland trails and passive recreation areas.

Happy Hollow, at 6697 Mount Chestnut Road in the Windsor Hills district, is unique among the county's parks as a natural habitat. It includes botanical gardens, hiking trails, portable toilets and an amphitheater.

Martin, who lives near the park, said, "I looked through the neighborhood, and everywhere I could see trees being cut down, and land being developed in what appeared to me to be in some unresponsible ways."

She considered buying some other adjacent tracts that she was not able to afford, she said, before purchasing the 14.6-acre parcel, which runs up a steep slope at the north end of the park. The property was recently appraised at $51,000. The county will pay approximately $1,100 in closing costs, the board was told, to take ownership.

"Happy Hollows Gardens is one of our most popular special-use parks," said Pete Haislip, the county's director of parks, recreation and tourism. Over the past year and a half that he had been talking with Martin about donating the property, he said, he had come to see the depth of her love for the outdoors and the mountains of Southwest County.

"She wanted to do something more than just words" to protect those, he said.

"She's not wealthy; she didn't win the lottery. But she comes to us and says, 'I want to make a difference ... to protect the land and the viewshed and create a wildlife habitat.' "

Board members were full of praise for Martin's generosity.

"There are millionaires in the county and other people with a lot of money, and for them this would not be much of a sacrifice at all," said Catawba district supervisor Butch Church. "But for someone like you, this demonstrates your sincerity to help Roanoke County maintain the quality of life and the beauty we have."

Hollins district supervisor Richard Flora noted that "ordinary people can do extraordinary things. This is extraordinary. ... This is an area where we do need to try to preserve ridge tops and steep slopes."

"I hope this will begin a trend that you've seen the vision for," said Cave Spring district supervisor Mike Wray. "I know that's what you want to see," he said, encouraging other residents to make similar contributions to the county and the environment.

"I believe it really comes down to priorities," Martin told the board. "It's so easy to say, 'there's nothing you can do, development is inevitable.' That's not acceptable.

"I would ask you to use this donation in any way you can to encourage people to make saving our land and our environment, the air and water and things that make this a beautiful place to live, to decide this is something we really care about. ... Help me get that message across."