Project Information

Project Completion: December 2017; This project is now completed.
Implements Science Plan Theme: 6
Principal Investigator(s):
Erin Seekamp, Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, NC State University
Co-Investigator(s):
Jordan Smith, Department of Environment & Society, University of Utah
Matthew Booker, Department of History, NC State University
Nils Peterson, Department of Forestry & Environmental Resources, NC State University
Stacy Nelson, Department of Forestry & Environmental Resources, NC State University
Janet Cakir, National Park Service
Collaborators:
Mitch Eaton, USGS Southeast CASC
Max Post van der Burg, USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Key Points

• Increased understanding of climate impacts on coastal natural resources
• Helps resource managers make management decisions for not just natural resources, but cultural ones as well
• Studied specific climate impacts such as sea level rise on building longevity

Overview

Climate change doesn’t just threaten our natural resources. It threatens our cultural resources too. Cultural resources represent evidence of past human activity, such as archeological sites. They are often significant to a group of people with a cultural connection to the resource, such as Native American ceremonial sites.

Climate change is challenging the longevity of many cultural resources. Coastal areas are experiencing sea-level rise, shoreline erosion, and more severe storm events. This threatens resources like historic lighthouses. Little work has been done to understand how climate change will impact cultural resources. To address this gap, we developed a strategy to aid adaptation planning efforts. The strategy looks at the relative significance of specific cultural resources and their climate vulnerability. We then pilot tested this study with a subset of buildings on the National Historic Register at Cape Lookout National Seashore. The Seashore is located on North Carolina’s imperiled barrier islands.

Cultural resources hold diverse values to local communities and the general public.  These resources are irreplaceable. Their meaning is often tied to their specific location. This project improves our understanding of how climate change impacts cultural resources. It also informs the role that historic significance should play in management decisions.

More Information:

• Budgeting for Climate Change
• New Paper Details What We Know About Climate Threats to Cultural Heritage and Cultural Resources
• Southeast CASC Project Recognized with DOI Environmental Achievement Award
• Optimizing Cultural Resource Preservation Under Climate Change
• Study Finds Knowledge Gaps on Protecting Cultural Sites from Climate Change
• View a poster and recorded presentation given by undergraduate student Peizhe Li describing the project and OptiPres model at the Southeast Environment and Recreation Research Conference, March 2021.