Kiwanis Nature Park Roanoke

21Oct 2026 by Alexander Long
An aerial shot of Roanoke VA. - kiwanis nature park roanoke

Looking For A Little Green: Kiwanis Nature Park

The Kiwanis Club of Roanoke is working on a signature project: the Kiwanis Nature Park for Roanoke. We are developing a 2.5-acre nature park on Roanoke City-owned property. This area is adjacent to the Kiwanis Centennial Playground, located in an underserved neighborhood on Melrose Avenue.
This urban nature park for Roanoke, VA will include pollinator gardens, a fully restored stream, and outdoor classrooms for the community to use, as well as other nature park elements.

Where Is This Park Going To Be?

What Will This Project Do?

What Activities Will There Be?

The site is on Horton’s Branch, a tributary of the Roanoke River, in the 2700 block of Melrose Avenue, adjacent to the Melrose Library and Forest Park Academy. The area also borders the Kiwanis Centennial Playground.
This community is underserved, and we plan to change that. This Melrose Avenue of Roanoke community project is our current signature project, which we’ve been working on since 2022!
The park project will reduce flooding, give the community a place to enjoy nature, and improve water quality for the endangered Roanoke Logperch by increasing water absorption and filtration and eliminating runoff toxins from the stream. It will also provide conservation education, increase biodiversity, and strengthen environmental stewardship.
The project will transform an expansive lawn and polluted stream into a nature park, replacing the area with pollinator wildflower (and educational!) gardens, wetlands, and other park amenities.
The nature park will attract birds, butterflies, and pollinating insects, and provide a safe place for people to relax and enjoy nature. The park will also protect the water quality and fish of the Roanoke River.
Our nature park activities will include neighborhood engagement efforts to reduce litter and pollutants to stimulate ownership of the park. A youth conservation corps will monitor water quality and lead neighborhood cleanups. We will also host outdoor classroom events aligned with Virginia schools’ Standards of Learning (SOLs).
Outcomes will include improved water quality in Horton’s Branch, increased water conservation knowledge, and a stabilized Roanoke Logperch population. Of course, it will also offer an urban oasis that showcases nature’s beauty.

Who Is Partnering With Kiwanis For This?

Naturally, community engagement is a critical part of this project’s success. Our partners include:
  • Roanoke City's Public Schools,
  • City Stormwater Division
  • City Department of Parks and Recreation
  • Roanoke City Public Libraries
  • Western Virginia Water Authority
  • Clean Valley Council
  • Goodwill Industries of the Valley
  • Virginia Tech students and advisers
  • Other nonprofits, businesses, faith-based organizations, and neighborhood associations

And of course, there is the community in which the park is being built. We could never have even begun this project without the cooperation of the neighborhood’s citizens. Their ongoing cooperation and support have been instrumental in the smooth, steady progress of this long, ambitious project.

Who Is Larry the Logperch?

Meet Larry the Logperch! He's the mascot for the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke and the unofficial mascot of this nature park project, since his friends and family live in the stream we are working to restore.

He represents the endangered Roanoke Logperch population that swims in the Roanoke River. As part of our project, we’re improving water quality in the tributary Horton’s Branch within the nature park, specifically for these fish.

Larry’s first public appearance was in 2024 as a paper mache model. A children’s book featuring Larry was also launched in 2024, teaching Roanoke citizens about pollution in our waterways. You can find a copy of the book at the Melrose Library, just by the nature park! We launched the book at the Spring Fun Day at the Envision Center near the nature park.

The Timeline In Brief

This project has been underway since 2022, when we first began fundraising. We don't expect it to finish until 2027. Each year has specific goals to stay on track. The (very condensed) timeline is:
2022: Grant writing and community engagement started — the project began!
2023: First installations put in, trees planted, Larry’s book written
2024: Began stream restoration design, maintained gardens, installed signage and more trails, published Larry’s book
2025: Collaborated with the city on stream restoration design, put in more trails, began amphitheater constructions
2026: Stormwater construction begins, stream restoration begins, construction of park elements continues
2027: complete restoration and stormwater construction, complete bridge build, install interpretive signs, put in final trails, celebrate and turn it over to the City - the project ends!

This project still has a ways to go, and we are always open to new members and volunteers. If you’re interested in helping with the Melrose Avenue of Roanoke community project at the Kiwanis Nature Park for Roanoke, or with Roanoke Logperch conservation, please reach out!