Johnson City commissioners on Oct. 2 adopted a 10-year strategic plan for Buffalo Mountain City Park and voted to ask the Tennessee Division of Natural Areas to consider the park for designation as a state natural area.

The plan, developed by the city’s parks and recreation staff with input from East Tennessee State University researchers and a stakeholder advisory committee, sets preservation, trail maintenance, education programming, signage, public-safety improvements and connectivity as top priorities.

Dr. Maggie Darden, planning and project manager for Parks and Recreation, told the commission the park draws substantial use and that the plan grew from community engagement: “We have over 64,000 visitors annually,” she said, and the plan reflects survey and public-meeting feedback. April Norris, the city’s parks and recreation director, said a formal request to the Division of Natural Areas would provide “protection to the land,” guidance for natural-resource management and access to state programming, though it would not automatically supply state staffing or guaranteed funding.

The commission heard public comments from nearby residents who supported the plan and the state-designation effort. Robin Phillips, who lives near Buffalo Mountain, reminded commissioners of the state’s Natural Areas program, noting it protects threatened species and provides long-term preservation under the Natural Areas Preservation Act of 1971.

Staff told the commission Buffalo Mountain City Park includes 724 acres the city acquired in 1994 through a land swap with the U.S. Forest Service, more than 12 miles of maintained, hike-only trails and trailheads ranging from roughly 2,000 to about 4,000 feet in elevation. The plan grew from two public surveys, two in-person meetings, stakeholder advisory input and student work at ETSU; the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board voted Sept. 25 to adopt the plan before it came to the commission.

The request to the state will begin with a city letter of recommendation to the Division of Natural Areas. Staff said the division’s review can take several months, includes multi-season site visits to catalog species, and concludes with a recommendation from the division’s director to the governor for final action.

The commission approved both the Buffalo Mountain City Park strategic plan and the motion to forward a recommendation to the state by voice/roll call vote. Commissioner Brock moved approval; the motion received a second and passed with all present voting yes.

What the designation would — and would not — do: staff emphasized that state designation would help protect the current 724 acres and could improve eligibility for some grants, and could bring state-supported programming such as guided hikes; it would not, by itself, provide state staffing or guarantee operating funds. The plan does not change the city’s existing permitted, pedestrian-only (hike-only) use of the park.

Next steps include submitting the formal recommendation to the Tennessee Division of Natural Areas and cooperating with state site visits and documentation requested by the division. The city manager and parks staff said they have already discussed the project with state officials and prepared a draft recommendation letter to submit.

Commissioners framed the action as long-term preservation: several members described Buffalo Mountain as a distinctive natural asset within city limits and urged protecting it for future generations.