Tuesday, December 18, 2012

York River gets a new “soil life” from National Park Service but problems will remain


In one of many moves to come by the National Park Service (NPS), the NPS will address shoreline erosion along the York River in Virginia as outlined in a new report[1].

The report spells out plans to repair and “stabilize” 4.2 miles of the York River whose erosion is so bad that it’s an “imminent threat” to the Colonial Parkway, a scenic attraction for Virginians and non-Virginians alike.

According to officials with the Colonial National Historical Park, the latter is asking for $3.9 million from the NPS to repair the whole 4.2 mile stretch of the river.

The first phase of the project will focus on 1,300 feet of shoreline near Indian Field Creek in January.[2] This initial project will cost more than half a million dollars and will be paid for by the park’s fees for entrance.

As the recently leaked IPCC draft report[3] has highlighted in even less equivocal language than the panel’s previous report, the growing dangers of climate change will only make matters like coastal erosion all the more frequent and intense in Virginia.

In the case of the York River, the economic toll is insignificant, so far, in comparison to the damage inflicted upon New Jersey and New York by Hurricane Sandy. While it would not be accurate to say that climate change caused the hurricane, climate change certainly added to its destructive capacity.  

But Virginia’s rivers are not in good shape in terms of water quality, species adaptability and diversity, soil erosion, and the list could go on. Many of these factors have been helped along by the effects of climate change and they only stand to get worse in the future.

So if Virginians value their rivers and natural habitats, they will talk to their legislators at the local, state, and Federal levels about aggressively addressing climate change and its effects.  

Climate change is real and we can do something about it, but we have to act now.



[1] http://www.nbc12.com/story/20352516/shoreline-erosion-is-threatening-va-scenic-roadway
[2] http://bit.ly/VHub9O
[3] http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23005-leaked-ipcc-report-reaffirms-dangerous-climate-change.html

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