Allegheny Land Trust
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Stewardship

Property Management Plan Overview

In May 2009, Applied Ecological Services, Inc. (AES) was retained by Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) to conduct an ecological assessment and to prepare a management plan for Sycamore Island, a 14.3 acre forested island in the Allegheny River near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Ecological field investigations and public outreach activities began in June 2009 and continued through the end of September 2010.  The culmination of this work is a management plan which provides recommendations and plans for managing the ecological and cultural resources of Sycamore Island.  See Sycamore Island Management Plan Recommendations for a summary of AES’s findings and recommendations.

Now you can download the complete 213-page report (14.2 MB PDF file).

The ecological and cultural significance of Sycamore Island is well known.  Previous studies such as the 3 Rivers 2nd Nature Report conducted by Carnegie Mellon University that characterized riverbank vegetation in the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, have described the ecological resources and conservation value of Sycamore Island (3Rivers 2nd Nature, 2002).  The Island’s floodplain hardwood forest is recognized as among the rarest plant communities of its type, both regionally and globally.  The Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Index (PNDI) classifies floodplain forest as imperiled in the state, and Sycamore Island has a ranking of "high significance" within the Allegheny River BDA Natural Heritage Area.  Today, it is valued as one of the last remaining undeveloped islands within the Lower Allegheny Watershed.

Nonetheless, humans have impacted the island in the past with periodic interludes of recognition and appreciation as a natural refuge.  In 1936, both Sycamore Island and Nine Mile Island were leased from the Pennsylvania Railroad by the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, making these islands the first bird sanctuaries in the Pittsburgh region.  Plans for the development of a marina on Sycamore Island were initiated during the late 1960’s but were later abandoned, leaving behind several significant features including a barge that remains embedded in the sand at the island’s southern tip, a partially installed swimming pool, docking platform and a series of offshore pilings in the back channel.  During the last century, development and industrialization of the watershed contributed to changes in the island’s configuration and topography, due in part to dredge spoiling and increased sedimentation from development.  Because of these changes and the island’s position in the river, its area has more than doubled from just over 6 acres in 1809 to over 14 acres today.  More recent impacts to the Island’s ecology include the affects of invasive species and climate change.  All of these stressors must be considered and addressed in long-term management efforts.

In January 2008, with funding from the Colcom Foundation, ALT purchased Sycamore Island to protect and manage the island’s dynamic riverine ecology and the critical wildlife habitat, educational, and recreational benefits it provides in an otherwise industrialized and urbanized landscape.  In undertaking the current assessment and planning effort, ALT identified five principle goals it believes are key to successfully managing the resources of Sycamore Island:

Understanding fully the natural processes, functions and values of the Island from the treetops to river bottom and its impact on the ecology and hydrology of the Allegheny River.  As well as on a broader scale, understanding the historic and present day anthropogenic stressors impacting the natural processes, functions, and values and how these factors will influence long-term management and preservation of the island’s natural resources.

Managing properly the natural processes, functions and values of the Island based upon the findings of the field assessment and inventory, and literature review of previous studies and articles.

Preserving the natural processes, functions and values of the Island to protect its habitat value, and its rare floodplain hardwood forest plant community within the Allegheny River BDA Natural Heritage Area.

Enhancing and restoring, where possible, the natural processes, functions and values of the Island to increase the habitat potential for aquatic, terrestrial and resident and migrating avian species.

Ensuring that public use and enjoyment will not compromise the health and integrity of the Island’s natural processes, functions and values, nor interfere with ALT’s commitment to protect these unique ecological attributes.