Your OBX national parks are garnering national attention this week. Cape Hatteras National Seashore is one of ten sites featured in a new national report by The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that serves to educate the public on the history and significance of beloved cultural landscapes across the nation.
The foundation’s report, Landslide 2019: Living in Nature, highlights ten sites in the United States that are currently threatened by flooding, wildfires, drought and other consequences of human-induced climate change. In addition to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the sites highlighted include:
- Buckner Homestead Historic District, Stehekin, Washington
- Death Valley Scotty Historic District, Death Valley, California
- Easton’s Point, Newport, Rhode Island
- Gateway National Recreation Area, Staten Island & Jamaica Bay, New York; Sandy Hook, New Jersey
- Giant Sequoia Range, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California
- Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument and Blackwater National Wildlife Reserve, Dorchester County, Maryland
- Holden Arboretum, Kirtland, Ohio
- Isle de Jean Charles, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
- Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, Kawaihae, Hawai’i
First issued in 2003, Landslide has since highlighted more than 300 significant at-risk parks, gardens, horticultural features, working landscapes and other places that collectively embody our shared landscape heritage. Landslide designations have resulted in advocacy that has saved numerous sites.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore is one of four national parks selected for Landslide 2019, and is the only national seashore (the United States has ten) to be featured in the publication.
According to the report, scientific data shows that climate change is having a real effect on the landscapes we love. Cape Hatteras National Seashore, specifically, is threatened by sea level rise and storm surges from the hurricanes and that have pounded the Outer Banks for centuries. The report states, “As sea level rises, erosion rates increase and the natural habitat between the ocean and the waterfront properties decreases. This also poses a threat to the historic structures at the Seashore, as well as to the visitor access that is a crucial park of the park’s mission.”
As Landslide 2019 indicates, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial are threatened as well. Just last year, the National Park Service released a report on sea level rise and storm surge in coastal areas around the United States, explaining that, by 2100, Wright Brothers National Memorial will be the Outer Banks national park most threated by rising sea levels.
Not only can sea level rise destroy the coastlines, habitats and park structures of the Outer Banks, but it could also seriously affect the local economy. Landslide 2019 states that last year, welcomed more than 3 million visitors, generated more than $200 million dollars in revenue and created nearly 3,000 jobs. Your OBX national parks are invaluable to the thriving of the entire Outer Banks community.
In addition to explaining the cultural and historical significance of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Landslide 2019 features Outer Banks Forever – we are proud to be your local nonprofit partner of your OBX national parks. By supporting our mission to engage park lovers through philanthropy, education, volunteerism and partnerships you can have a hand in preserving these three treasures of the Outer Banks.
Your OBX national parks have brought joy to locals and visitors for decades. Let’s work together to ensure that they continue to do so now, and forever.
Click here to support your OBX national parks today.