VULNERABLE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE COASTAL AREAS

Coastal resources in the National Park System are found in more than 90 coastal parks. The challenges facing the coastal parks range from baseline inventories of coastal resources to encroaching development and pressures from adjacent lands. Impacts from El Nino, hurricanes, Northeasters, and relative sea level changes will require planning to accommodate the effects of bluff retreat and coastal erosion that leave coastal resources vulnerable. Incorporating plans for relocation of coastal roads and infrastructure will require knowledge of rates of shoreline change. Several programs within USGS and other agencies and institutions are collecting LIDAR data to map regional scales of shoreline change. These data will aid efforts to plan for shoreline changes, and joint funded USGS-NPS projects will continue to assess the vulnerability to sea level rise and storms in coastal parks. Parks can use this information to conduct their planning and compliance requirements for proposed and ongoing activities that affect park shorelines. These compliance requirements often include the Coastal Zone Management Act; executive orders pertaining to coral reefs, marine protected areas, wetlands, and floodplains; and the Endangered Species Act. Additionally, shoreline issues invoke several sections of the NPS Management Policies. Relevant sections include Sections 1.4.4-1.4.7, which address impairment of park resources and values; Section 4.8.1, which addresses geologic processes including coastal processes and geologic hazards; Section 4.6, which addresses wetlands and floodplains; Section 9.1.1.6, which addresses siting park facilities in areas subject to natural hazards; and other sections pertaining to NPS and non-NPS roads. The Geologic Resources Division has compiled a checklist of the tasks that parks must complete in order to comply with the information-gathering and decision-making requirements of the NPS Management Policies.