Parks & Recreation

Purpose: To establish guidelines to help people who live, work and visit Montreat understand the best way to protect and restore the systems which permit our native trees, plants, forest and wildlife to exist, in order to promote good environmental practices and implement goals of good land use.

Mission Statement: The Town of Montreat desires to promote sound practices for all the people who live, work and visit the community in order to protect its natural beauty.

GOALS OF MONTREAT PARKS & RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE:

• Preserve Montreat’s distinctive character & mountain
  heritage while promoting a walk able community.
• Conserve the Town’s valuable Green space, right-of-way,
  water and air resources for present and future generations.
• Promote the best use of land while protecting citizens’ property rights.
• Promote/preserve areas of significance from an aesthetic, historical, scientific, recreational or cultural standpoint.

Montreat is the First in North Carolina and one of eight in the nation to become "Certified as a Wildlife Habitat Community"

Community Basics

Montreat, NC is a beautiful mountain cove nestled at the foot of Graybeard Mountain near the Tennessee Valley Divide. Located at the eastern end of Buncombe County and surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, Montreat is filled with gurgling streams, abundant native flora and fauna, and gorgeous mountain vistas. It is bounded by the Pisgah National Forest and the Asheville Watershed Natural Area. Originally founded as a spiritual mountain retreat, it is home to the Montreat Conference Center and Montreat College. It contains no commercial development.

• Size: 3.8 square miles

• Population: 631 year-round residents, 4500 weekly during summer conferences

• Total Housing Units: 578 single family homes

• Schools: one primary, elementary, middle school, high school and one four-year college

• Businesses: 3 non-profit

Migratory Path/Flyway: Migratory path for Canadian geese, hummingbirds, goldfinches, juncos

Dominant Ecosystems: The Montreat community can best be described as an Appalachian Cove ecosystem. There is a diverse mix of plant species, which can further be characterized as blending with a Transitional Forest Habitat due to young hardwood succession and changes in elevation.

Environmental/Ecological Challenges: Many issues surround the use of the land in and around the Montreat community. The issues stem primarily from use of the land and human encroachment on natural habitats. Issues include: protection of our remaining green spaces and wilderness; diminishing habitats; soil erosion; water and air quality issues.

Invasive Non-Native Species Causing Problems:

Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (HWA) has been spotted throughout the Montreat Cove. HWA was accidentally introduced from Asia on horticultural nursery stock and is now present from the Smoky Mountains north into New England.

The town of Montreat is surrounded by approximately 3,000 acres of wilderness, owned and protected by the Mountain retreat Association and Montreat Conference Center. The landmass of the community as a whole is approximately 4,000 acres, in which the above-mentioned 3,000 acres are in the classification of MRA Wilderness. The Montreat Cove is an important corridor for access to the wilderness beyond its borders. MRA's designation of this area as wilderness is significant to the ecology of the entire region. The Montreat Wilderness neighbors a number of mountain preserves, including the North Fork Watershed Natural Area and the Pisgah National forest. Adjoining these large tracts of contiguous land are the Blue Ridge National Scenic Byway, Mt. Mitchell State Park, Middle Creek research Natural Area, Black Mountain Natural Area, and to the west lies an additional 10,000 acres of the Pisgah national Forest.

The overall goal of the Montreat Community Wildlife Habitat Project is to interest, educate and assist citizens, schools, businesses and community organizations in the creation of wildlife habitats that provide food, water, shelter and places to raise young. Within the next 3 to 5 years, they plan to:

• Certify 10 single family or town homes within Montreat

• Certify at least one school as a Schoolyard Habitats® site

• Certify one BWH site on Montreat college campus

• Enroll four-year college in the campus ecology program

• Certify two areas as demonstration habitat sites

• Create a project scrapbook with copies of program fliers, press clips, photos of community work days, and other items

• Establishing a weekly column sharing information in a local paper or papers

• Preservation guidelines will be published on the Website and made available at the Town office

• Two workshops per year to educate and prepare residents to develop wildlife habitats

• Work with Mountain Retreat Association, Montreat College and Montreat Cottager's Association to convert green spaces to wildlife friendly landscapes

• Work with community residents to assist them in converting unused areas to wildlife habitats

• Restore native plant communities along stream banks to provide habitat and buffer waterways form runoff

• Organize Special events to celebrate and raise awareness of the Community Habitat Program

• Participate with Mountain Retreat Association, USDA agent, NC Cooperative Extension agent and US Forest Service agent to monitor proliferation of Hemlock Wooly Adelgid throughout Montreat Wilderness area