Losing Sites on the Trail to Freedom
Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Flooding threaten Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park
Coastal forests and marshes helped Harriet Tubman lead enslaved people to freedom on the underground railroad. Now those ecosystems, protected as part of Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument and Blackwater National Refuge, are at risk. Maryland, where the park is located, is experiencing some of the greatest sea level rise in the country partly because in addition to the sea rising, the land is sinking. A 2018 National Park Service report on sea level rise found that the park could see up to one foot of sea level rise by 2050.
A 2018 National Park Service report on sea level rise found that the park could see up to one foot of sea level rise by 2050. At high tide, just one foot of sea level rise will have a profound effect on the park. Move the slider bar back and forth to see how sea level rise could affect the park.
Because the landscape is flat and low-lying, even small amounts of sea level rise have a dramatic effect. While marshes have the ability to keep up with small amounts of sea level rise, larger amounts can drown them before they are able to grow upwards or migrate to higher ground. The national monument contains portions of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, whose extensive habitats are of global significance and have earned it the moniker "the Everglades of the North.” These salt marshes and tidal wetlands are critical stopping points in the annual migration of birds, and the area boasts one of the largest Atlantic populations of Bald Eagles. These are the marshes where Tubman trapped muskrats as a child, learning skills that later allowed her to help others escape to the North.
Images © National Park Service
These marshes and coastal ecosystems also provide direct benefits to people through recreational activities like birding and duck hunting, as well as coastal protection. They protect important cultural and historic sites such as the new Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center and Harriet Tubman's birthplace at Brodess Farm from coastal storm surges. A 2018 study from George Mason University found that intact marshes could attenuate up to 90% of incoming wave energy. For the ecological benefits that they provide, and the protection they provide to coastal communities and cultural resources, we need to better protect, and work to restore, our coastal ecosystems.
Sea level rise will have dramatic effects on wetlands on the entire peninsula. While wetlands have the ability to keep up with some amounts of sea level rise by accumulating sediment and migrating to higher ground, many wetlands would be lost. NOAA's 2022 technical report on sea level rise estimates approximately 3.9 feet of sea level rise by 2100. Turn layers in the bottom right on and off by clicking the eye symbol to see how different about of sea level rise will affect the wetlands and features in and around the park.
While there is a need for additional effort to protect local ecosystems from sea level rise, park staff have been planning for the future. In 2017, a $21 million visitor center opened, co-managed by the National Park Service and Maryland State Parks. The new visitor center explicitly took sea level rise into account and was raised a total of 5.5 feet above sea level. The land around the building was also graded and sloped to promote accessibility.
The new Harriet Tubman UGRR Visitor Center, opened in 2017, was built 5.5 feet above sea level. Image © NPS
The Harriet Tubman UGRR Visitor Center is a good example of planning for the future - the elevated building will be more resilient to sea level rise and coastal flooding. Future conditions need to be an integral part of new construction, renovation, and preservation projects in the National Park System. These types of projects are opportunities to make our parks more resilient.
Across the park system, we need to promote coastal resilience by increasing funding for ecological restoration and living shorelines, protecting existing historical and cultural structures from flooding and sea level rise, and planning for future conditions.
