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Stewardship
Property Management Plan
View of Sycamore Island from the south, looking upstream.
(Click photo for a larger version.)
Allegheny Land Trust has commissioned preparation of a management plan for Sycamore Island. The purpose of the plan is to understand fully the island's functions and values, to manage them properly and enhance them if possible, and to ensure that opportunities for public uses don't conflict with the Trust's commitment to protect the unique natural functions and values. A team comprised of Applied Ecological Services, Studio for Spatial Practice and Lisa Smith has been selected to prepare this management plan.
In more detail, the scope of the management plan includes:
Inventory and Assessment – A site assessment that will attempt to explain the island's formation. A biological and aquatic inventory. An evaluation of the island's impact on the Allegheny River's ecology and hydrology. An evaluation of the importance of the island as habitat for aquatic, terrestrial and resident and migrating species. The plan will also make recommendations for future archaeological investigations of the island.
Public Outreach – Efforts to engage and solicit input from various interest groups through public meetings.
Recommendations – Develop a Master Plan that supports Allegheny Land Trust's stewardship efforts with the goal of enhancing the terrestrial, aquatic, and avian habitat of the island while permitting those public uses that enhance understanding of the island's importance but do not impair the island or its associated habitats.
Initial Findings of the Management Plan Team
Sycamore Island - A Snapshot of 'Urban Ecology'