Monday, January 23, 2006
Editorial: Mill Mountain protection plan
Roanoke should put an excellent management plan to work for its landmark.
From the RoundTable blog
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Many Roanokers probably assume that Mill Mountain Park is protected from face-changing development by virtue of the iconic place it holds in their hearts.
But it's not.
City council would not ensure that protection if, as it should, it incorporates the newly drafted Mill Mountain Park Management Plan into the city's comprehensive plan.
But the park plan calls for studying the possibility of putting the most ecologically sensitive areas on Mill Mountain under a conservation easement. Such an easement would preserve the mountain's woodlands as a highly visible landmark and easily accessible outdoor recreation spot in the heart of the city.
The virtues of that may seem obvious to most, especially Mill Mountain "purists," if they can be called that in regard to a mountain with a zoo on top.
Successive schemes over the years for taking advantage of the park's prominence drive those who love the natural mountain "absolutely crazy," as planning commission member Kent Chrisman puts it.
Dreamers haven't given up on all of their schemes, though, so council might hesitate to explore the idea of a conservation easement. It should embrace the study.
The park management plan recognizes and accommodates Mill Mountain's variety of resources and uses, breaking the park down into five management zones.
It also maps the areas in greatest need of protection, based on an impressively detailed study.
An easement on at least critical parts of the mountain deserves full consideration.
Other of the plan's recommendations -- to improve some trails, for example, and to close off those blazed illegally by all-terrain vehicle users -- are sound and should be implemented.
The management plan itself is a valuable record of Mill Mountain's history; a catalog of its features, both natural and manmade; and a user guide for hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders.
Authors Margaret Bryant and Christine Calorusso have provided the city with a useful resource. Council's task now is to put it to good use.
