The last remaining privately-owned undeveloped island in Allegheny County will be forever protected and available for public education, Allegheny Land Trust announced today. Sycamore Island, located on the Allegheny River near Blawnox, was purchased by the land trust with money provided by the Colcom Foundation. The 14-acre island has a floodplain hardwood forest, which the land trust says is one of the rarest plant community types globally. "This is an extremely exciting project," Colcom program director Carol Zagrocki, said in a news release. "Sycamore Island is truly a rare conservation opportunity in our county." The island, which is frequently visited by boaters, is growing in size because it is located on the inside of a river bend where silt and sediment are deposited. The land trust -- which has protected more than 1,350 acres in 18 municipalities -- hopes to use the island as a demonstration site for education about invasive species removal and water quality improvements. "We will face some stewardship challenges such as removing debris that has collected on the island over the years from floods," Tim Stanny, the land trust's project committee chair, said in a statement. "But we are committed to fulfilling our mission of caring for the local lands we protect."

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