FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Caitlin Mello, Communications Manager
The Land Trust for Tennessee
[email protected]
o. (615)244-5263 office
Joel Houser, Southeast Regional Director
The Land Trust for Tennessee
[email protected]
o. (423)305-1783
TOWN OF SIGNAL MOUNTAIN PRESERVES PUBLIC PARK FOR GENERATIONS TO COME
SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, TN –November 7, 2014– The Land Trust for Tennessee, a non-profit
organization that helps protect the state’s natural and historic landscapes, is pleased to
announce that the Town of Signal Mountain has protected a 342-acre public open space
through a conservation easement. This land is used by the community and visitors for scenic
enjoyment and outdoor recreation. The project has been in the making since 2012, was passed
by a town council vote in October of 2014 and executed by Mayor Bill Lusk at the will of the
council. From this point forward the Town of Signal Mountain will own, manage and enjoy their
beautiful landscape as it has been for decades, with the security of knowing future generations
will also have the opportunity to receive the same benefits. The park and open space will be
jointly monitored through a partnership between the Town of Signal Mountain and The Land
Trust for Tennessee.
“Signal Mountain is made up of people who value the abundance of natural treasures and
recreational opportunities in their community. We are honored that the Town of Signal
Mountain asked us to work with them to ensure that this community asset remains accessible
to its citizens for generations to come,” says Jeanie Nelson, Executive Director and President of
The Land Trust for Tennessee.
The conservation easement preserves this park as public land while protecting the town’s rights
to manage the property by building recreational and utilitarian structures such as visitor,
wildlife or nature center buildings, pavilions, park benches, restrooms, utility systems, energyproducing structures, parking areas, non-paved public roads, backpacking shelters and other
town-sanctioned improvements. The town will continue to utilize the park for recreational and
educational uses, such as hiking, picnicking, nature study, bird watching with the right to lease,
sell, encumber or otherwise transfer the property as it’s elected leaders allow.
Apart from the park’s popularity for public recreation, the property provides the community
with scenic qualities. This includes almost four miles of road frontage that contain scenic views
from multiple roads including Signal Mountain Road/Highway 27, Signal Mountain Boulevard,
Palisades Drive, and Green Gorge Road, all public rights of way. The property also contains
watersheds affecting Shoal Creek and Middle Creek which both drain into the Tennessee River,
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less than ½ miles from the park. The Tennessee River is highly used for recreational boating
fishing and swimming, as well as a source of drinking water for local communities, including the
city of Chattanooga. The park also contains a significant population of the region’s diverse
wildlife. Lastly, the open space supports the local economy, bringing visitors and boosting local
property values. As a whole, these conservation values enhance the community’s character
and culture, and will be forever protected by The Town of Signal Mountain through this
conservation easement.
“This open space is such a great resource for the community and one of the many reasons
people chose to live in Signal Mountain. The scenic and natural aspects of the town are an
integral part of its special character. We are thrilled to help the town preserve a community
legacy,” says Joel Houser, The Land Trust for Tennessee’s Southeastern regional Director.
The concept of the easement was raised in 2012 due to rapidly-growing projected regional
development rates. The University of Tennessee Center for Business and Economic Research
projects Hamilton County to grow by 14.4% between 2000 and 2025 and the city of Signal
Mountain is estimated to grow by 10%. The easement reflects The Chattanooga-Hamilton
County Comprehensive Plan 2030, recognized by the Hamilton County Commission. A goal of
the plan is to “protect, conserve and wisely manage the natural resources of Hamilton County”
with a policy to “continue planning efforts that respect a healthy balance of environmental
quality and economic growth,” and a policy to “encourage responsible development that
maintains the quality and integrity of existing natural resources.”
The South Cumberland Plateau is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful regions in the
state thanks to its natural landscapes. The open space use of the land is consistent with public
and private programs for conservation and protection of natural space for nearby properties.
The newly protected property is adjacent to Prentice Cooper State Forest and Wildlife
Management Area and the Tennessee River Gorge Trust properties on Edwards Point. The
Property is among a cluster of protected parks and private lands in the area including the Colby
Property, Southeastern Green Works and Standifer Gap Marsh, all protected by conservation
easements held by The Land Trust for Tennessee. It is a welcomed addition to a region rich
with other highly visited state parks such as North Chickamauga Creek Wildlife Management
Area, North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Natural Area, Falling Water Falls State Natural
Area, Cummings Cove-Aetna Mountain Wildlife Management Area, Chickamauga &
Chattanooga National Military Park, Booker T. Washington State Park, and several county and
city parks including Enterprise South Nature Park and Greenway Farm.
ABOUT THE LAND TRUST FOR TENNESSEE: The Land Trust for Tennessee is an accredited, statewide, notfor-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) founded in 1999 with offices in Chattanooga and Nashville. The
Land Trust partners with willing communities, landowners, and partner organizations to preserve
Tennessee’s irreplaceable treasures for future generations, before they disappear. In the past 15 years, the
organization has protected nearly 100,000 acres including many of Tennessee’s natural and cultural
resources. Protected properties range from private working farms and Century Farms to forest land and
recreational lands for all Tennesseans to enjoy. Nearly 40,000 of these protected acres are in the Southeast
and South Cumberland Region surrounding Chattanooga including Fiery Gizzard, Lost Cove, The
Mountain Goat Trail, Blythe Ferry, The Hiwassee Refuge and other critical natural areas. The Land Trust
works to help support the cultural heritage, physical and emotional health, and character of Tennessee’s
dynamic communities through the protection of our natural and historic landscapes.
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Joel Houser, The Land Trust’s Southeastern Regional Director, is a lifelong Tennessean and
graduate of The University of Tennessee in Chattanooga with roots running across the entire
state.
To learn more about the benefits of voluntary conservation, contact the local Chattanooga office
at 423-305-1783 or visit the website at www.landtrusttn.org.
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