Heritage Park Ecological Restoration

Two parallel ecological restoration projects are underway at Heritage Community Park and Natural Area. The first project, a collaboration with the New River Conservancy involves removal of invasive plants and reintroduction of a diverse mix of native trees and shrubs in a 2-acre section along Toms Creek in the northeast section of the park. The second project, made possible through funding from the Virginia Environmental Endowment, will allow the Town to expand the project by an additional 17 acres to encompass the entire riparian zone surround Toms Creek within Heritage Park.

Since transitioning from a working farm to a public park, Heritage Park has been inundated with invasive plant species such as Autumn Olive, Asiatic Bittersweet, Privet, and Multiflora Rose. These invasive species and others quickly out-compete native plants and trees that wildlife depend on. In fact, a concerning loss of biodiversity has been documented at Heritage Park by Virginia Tech researchers over several years.

For this consolidated project area, a diverse variety of native trees and shrubs will be planted at a density of 435 plants per acre (roughly 7,400 total) after initial removal of invasive plants. This will resulted in improved habitat for wildlife, increased biodiversity, and greater resilience of the Toms Creek stream habitat, long-term. Ongoing monitoring and treatment will be conducted to prevent the regrowth of invasive plants until the native plantings are firmly established.

Citizens utilizing Heritage Park can expect to hear noise and see machinery being operated while work is completed, along with signage explaining the project. Once the planting of native species begins, those in the area will see many small saplings and protective tree tubes.

Throughout the project’s implementation, there will be numerous opportunities for the public to get involved via on-site workshops and volunteer opportunities. If you would like to be informed of future service projects or other events related to this project please sign up here.

Please see responses to the most frequently asked questions about this project in the FAQ section on the right-hand side of this project page. If you do not see an answer to your question, please submit it using the "Questions" box below.