Environmental Studies of Erie Bluffs Conclude Park is too Sensitive for Development

“Erie Bluffs supports a number of rare plant communities including some of the last remaining black oak savanna and sand barren communities in Pennsylvania. Nearly 150 acres of the Erie Bluffs property, which historically supported black oak savannah and sand barrens communities, is actively farmed….The forests of the lake plain, floodplains, ravines and escarpment tops support several trees over one hundred feet tall and over 12 feet in circumference. The most significant area for older growth trees is on the escarpment tops of the bluffs, with trees approaching 200 years in age.

The vascular flora of Erie Bluffs is diverse due to the high diversity of landforms, soils, and site history. The bluffs, associated seepage slumps, steep tributary gorges, and the dune/beach ridge provide habitat for plant species rare or absent in other parts of Pennsylvania. During the 2004 Bioblitz at Erie Bluffs, and through other inventory efforts, botanists documented over 400 vascular plant species, of which 18 are considered rare in Pennsylvania (S1-S3), and can only be found along the Lake Erie Coast. There are also nearly 100 species of non-native plants, primarily occurring in agricultural or developed areas of the park.

The diverse habitat types of Erie Bluffs provide foraging grounds for Bald Eagles and Northern Harriers, and breeding sites for Red-headed Woodpeckers and several forest interior bird species. The bluff face supports what could possibly be the largest colony of Bank Swallows in PA. Mammal surveys and results from the 2004 Bioblitz documented several bat species, such as the eastern red bat, the big brown and little brown bats, and the eastern pipistrelle. Results of invertebrate and plant surveys of the ephemeral pools indicated seepage wetlands that are fed by groundwater and remain saturated throughout the year. These wetlands provide breeding habitat for a number of amphibian species and the invertebrate composition. They also underscore the hydrologic connection between the lake plain and the upland areas within the watershed. The wet forest sites are also habitat for a number of insect species with forest-restricted habits. The interior forests, which are uncommon in this part of the state, may support several disjunct insect taxa more commonly found in areas with greater forest cover.

Sensitivity of the site is presented here based on the biological composition and function of ecological factors such as soils, slope, and hydrology. Because of the number of rare plants, plant communities, and the hydrologic connectivity within the area, much of the property is considered sensitive to development because the site quality of one area is directly linked to the quality of another….

The overall objectives in ecological management of Erie Bluffs State Park should focus on maintaining and enhancing populations of rare species and elements, maintaining and enhancing ecological viability by increasing patch size and site connectivity through restoration, maintaining the relationship between site hydrology and ecosystem (habitat) character and function, and controlling non-native invasive species….”

From
Rapid Inventory and Assessment of Landscape, Ecological and Biodiversity Resources Relative to Management Options. Erie Bluffs State Park. Erie County, Pennsylvania. Final Report July 2005. Prepared by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

Scott and Zuck Park Nov 29 Township Meeting

Today's millcreek township supervisor's meeting was interesting. There was a good showing of folks from the community who spoke against the comercial timber plan that has been produced for both Scott and Zuck Parks. A representative from the Zuck family spoke about how unhappy his family was with the proposed plan. The supervisors explained that their intent was to create a management plan which would make the trees healthier, and remove any hazards.
The problem with the plan is that it does not address the health of the park's ecosystem. It is a plan for resource extraction--nothing more. I'm not sure the supervisors (or the parks manager) understand the value of whole ecosystem health.

Press Release

MEDIA ADVISORY:

Local environmental advocates and archeological experts have raised concerns about a proposed loggin plan at two Millcreek Township parks.

Millcreek Township supervisors plan to dicuss the plan at their Tuesday Nov 29th meeting. Township Supervisors plan to dicuss the plan at their Tuesday, Nov 29 meeting. Township Supervisors are requesting that comments on the logging plan be e-mailed to the township prior to the meeting millcreektownship@millcreektownship.com The meeting is scheduled for Nov 29th 9:30 am, Millcreek Township Municipal Building Assembly Rooom.

The groups are calling for the supervisors to reject the plan and draw up another one, more responsible, one.

Representatives of the groups plans to meet with local nws reporters Friday at 1 p. at the first parking lot at Scott Park, the park that faces the most impact from the management plan. That plan calls for logging "deformed trees" and trees that pose a "safety hazard" to people using the park. The groups include the Erie County Environmental Coalition, Lake Erie Allegheny Earth Force, and the Gaia Defense League. (Gaia is the Greek goddess of the Earth.)

The groups point out that no criteria fo judging "deformed trees" or "safety hazard" trees is offered in the plan, which was drawn up by Ester & Laidlaw Forestry Inc. of Erie. It appears that the plan is geared mainly to harvesting large trees that reach nearly 100 feet into the air with saplings planted 10 feet apart. Replacing those large trees would take many decades; any profit from cutting them down would last a few months, the advocates said.

According to the contract between the township and that firm, Ester & Laidlaw will receive 10 percent of the proceeds from the timbersold through this plan.
What the groups call for is a responsible stewardship plan that will preserve the tall, majestic trees that highlight both parks, that hold to the original intent of the people who donated those lands for public enjoyment, and that provide for the best management of invasive species and potential safety hazards to people using the parks.
That can be done by including a more balanced group of planners that includes biologists, botanists, ecologists and forestry specialists in the planning process, the environmental groups say.

Both township parks offer visitors the opportunity to see mature forests just a few minutes from their homes. To log the biggest trees under the guise of removing potential “safety hazards” takes away the opportunity for many people living in and near Millcreek Township to see what a forest looks like.

In addition, logging work in Scott Park poses a threat to Native American archaeological sites and artifacts there. Scott Park is on the federal National Register District because of the prehistoric settlements known to have been located there. Previous archaeological digs on the park, mostly done in the 1970s, revealed them. They also revealed that the sites and artifacts at Scott Park are relatively shallow, lying just inches below the surface. Removing trees and operating heavy equipment, including logging skids, could damage those sites.
Before any cutting is done in the park, a cultural resource management plan should be done, local archaeologists say. The current plan does not do that.

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