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.
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