The Plott-Balsam Mountains containing Pinnacle Park are particularly noteworthy in terms of geology, topography, and ecology – their high mountain peaks, hanging valleys, and abundance of water support a diverse array of globally-significant natural communities containing numerous rare plants and animals. Our goal is to provide the Town of Sylva with definitive guidance regarding the long-term protection and stewardship of the natural assets of the 1,766-acre Pinnacle Park Property in the face of potential future trail improvements or expansions. We are working to inventory and map the natural communities, vegetation, landforms, hydrology, habitats, and wildlife of Pinnacle Park so that it may be enjoyed responsibly for generations to come. Our approach to this project relies in part on a detailed desktop-based landscape analysis using existing geospatial data to identify and prioritize potential areas of biological, hydrologic, or topographic interest (AOI). Of course, a good deal of boots on the ground fieldwork is required to ground-truth those potential AOIs.
Ecological Assessments | Geographic Information Systems GIS | Natural Resource Inventories & Assessments | Stream and Wetland Assessment