Island Classroom: Land Trust has plans for Sycamore Island, its 14 acres on the river
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Sycamore Island, the sylvan and slightly mysterious sand spit on an inside bend of the Allegheny River opposite Blawnox, attracts people. Always has.
In the 200 years since it was purchased by Nathaniel Irish from the state for $1.60, folks have camped there, dumped dredging spoils on it, built a swimming pool, operated a marina in the 1960s, and from 1962 to 1972 ate at a restaurant on a barge grounded in its silt. Recreational boaters still visit it regularly and this spring unknown individuals tried to establish a more-or-less permanent camp site complete with lean-to shelter, a wooden identification sign and "tiki" torches.
Its owner, the Allegheny Land Trust, took the tarp, sign and tiki torches down but recognizes the strong attraction and importance of the last undeveloped urban island in Allegheny County.
"We don't want to build a fence around it," said Roy Kraynyk, executive director of land trust, which purchased the island for $250,000 in December 2007. "We want people to experience it and learn from it and hope the community helps protect it."
Last week, on a boat tour around the 14-acre island, 125 people aboard RiverQuest's new floating classroom boat, Explorer, got a preview of the land trust's vision for the island as an outdoor conservation classroom, birding venue and hiking and recreation destination.
Located just nine miles from Pittsburgh's Point and shaped like an elongated teardrop, Sycamore Island is home to a floodplain hardwood forest of silver maple, sycamore, cottonwood and black willow that is up to 75 feet tall and among the rarest plant community types in the world. Because of its location on an inside river bend, slowing currents have deposited silt that has built the island from its 6-acre size when Mr. Irish bought it to the present day 14 acres.
Those currents also have deposited the seeds of invasive plant species. Japanese knotweed blankets the head, or upriver end, of the island and purple loosestrife and tree of heaven can be found in scattered patches.
The island is surrounded by shallow shoals that are home to many game fish species and at least eight species of freshwater mussels.
Mr. Kraynyk said the land trust has begun an inventory and assessment of the island's natural and manmade habitat, hiring Applied Ecological Services, Studio for Spatial Practice and Lisa Smith, an independent consultant, to do that work and prepare a management plan.
The $105,000 plan, a draft of which will be finished by the end of this year, will make recommendations for management of the island so that public uses don't conflict with the land trust's commitment to protect its natural habitat and functions.
"It's not every day that a vacant urban island becomes available for acquisition, conservation and public use," said
Scott Quitel, an ecologist with Applied Ecological Services. "We're looking to save some of it and make all of it safe for people to explore."
Although the assessment isn't done, Mr. Quitel said his initial impressions indicate that some structures, like the remnant swimming pool and a rusted boiler, will be removed. Others, including the marina's two dozen pilings that dot the back channel between the island and Blawnox, and the barge, which is filled with sediment and overgrown with small trees and vines on the water's edge along the main river channel, will probably be left in place.
In urban ecology, old, manmade structures often become adopted by wildlife, Mr. Quitel said, and the old marina pilings could provide perches for migratory birds. Trails, a landing for kayaks and educational signage may also be part of the plan's recommendations.
"This is really an unusual opportunity because urban islands usually get really beat up," Mr. Quitel said. "Opportunities like this don't grow on trees, but happily trees are growing on this island."
A public meeting to discuss the initial biological findings and the direction of the management plan is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Oakmont Yacht Club. A final report is expected sometime next summer.
The land trust, which was started in 1993, has protected more than 1,400 acres in 21 municipalities in Allegheny and Washington counties.
Correction/Clarification: (Published Aug. 25, 2009) This article on Sycamore Island in the Allegheny River as originally published Aug. 23, 2009 incorrectly identified the owner of the Explorer, the boat used to tour the island. It is owned by RiverQuest. Also, the island was purchased for $250,000. The figure was incorrect in this story as originally published.
First Published August 23, 2009 12:00 am
