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The “Preserving Coastal Parklands” series focuses on safeguarding and enhancing the resilience of National Park Service sites along the U.S. coastlines. These reports highlight innovative efforts to implement nature-based solutions (NbS) that protect natural, cultural, and historical resources from the growing threats of climate change, including sea level rise, storm surges, and erosion.
Our initial efforts are concentrated on parks within the Chesapeake Bay region, where coastal resilience is essential for the long-term preservation of the rich history embedded in these landscapes. Working closely with park management and leading research institutions, this initiative takes a stepwise approach to familiarize each park with NbS strategies and engage them in dialogue to develop custom, sustainable solutions.
The series underscores the importance of balancing the preservation of cultural legacies with the need to safeguard ecosystems, offering valuable insights for future conservation and coastal protection efforts.
The first report in this series examines the challenges facing Jamestown Island, a part of Colonial National Historical Park, which is threatened by rising sea levels and intensifying storms. With the support of partners such as The Nature Conservancy, University of Virginia, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering With Nature program, conceptual designs have been developed to protect the island’s historical and ecological treasures.
The report on Assateague Island National Seashore (ASIS) focuses on addressing the impacts of climate change on coastal parklands through the implementation of nature-based solutions (NBS). ASIS, a culturally and ecologically significant landscape, faces challenges from sea-level rise and extreme storms. The National Park Service’s philosophy for the park emphasizes working with natural coastal processes rather than resisting them, providing an opportunity to design resilient, adaptive landscapes. The team documented existing practices, such as dune management and marsh restoration, and identified opportunities for innovative NBS in key areas. The project team included experts from the University of Virginia, The Nature Conservancy, and the National Park Service.
The next report will explore similar efforts at Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, offering unique challenges and opportunities for applying NbS to enhance coastal resilience.
Engineering With Nature® is the intentional alignment of natural and engineering processes to efficiently and sustainably deliver economic, environmental, and social benefits through collaboration.