CITIZENS FOR A BETTER EASTERN SHORE
www.cbes.org
ShoreLine
A Journal of Natural Resources, Public Affairs and Culture on the Eastern Shore of Virginia
July 2011
Parking Lots for Assateague Beach at Issue
By Sue Mastyl
[A PDF file of this issue can be found here:
http://www.cbes.org/shoreline/sl_current.pdf]
With rising sea levels and more frequent storms, the beach parking lots at Assateague
are being washed out more frequently. Now, with a new Comprehensive
Conservation Plan (CCP) under way for Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
(NWR), refuge managers are looking at whether continuing to rebuild the parking lots
after every major event is the wisest course.
Assateague Island is the northernmost of Virginia’s barrier islands, with a total of
39,680 acres in both Maryland and Virginia. The 37-mile long island has been designated
a World Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations and a National Natural Landmark by
the U.S. Department of the Interior. The island is divided into three separate areas Assateague
State Park (800 acres on the Maryland end), managed by the MD Department of
Natural Resources; Chincoteague NWR (14,000 acres to the VA/MD border), managed
by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; and Assateague Island National Seashore, covering
the remaining portions in Maryland, and managed by the National Park Service (NPS).
Assateague Island National Seashore was established in 1965 to “provide for
recreational use and enjoyment consistent with the perpetuation and maintenance of the
seashore’s natural environment.” Chincoteague NWR was established in 1943 to protect
migratory waterfowl habitat, especially the greater snow goose. Its current mission includes
preservation of endangered species (including the Delmarva fox squirrel), maintaining
indigenous species, and supporting wildlife-oriented public use. Chincoteague
NWR has been designated a Globally Important Bird Area, is part of the Western Hemisphere
Shorebird Reserve Network, and is a National Audubon Society top 10 birding
hotspot. There are four main habitats on the Refuge, including the beach and dunes,
which provides habitat for the threatened piping plover and provides protection to inland
habitats from storms and high tides; freshwater wetlands, including 2,600 acres of manmade
marshes, managed throughout the seasons to provide habitat for migratory waterfowl;
saltwater marshes, which provide some of the most productive habitat anywhere;
and maritime forests, including habitat for sika deer and the endangered Delmarva fox
squirrel. Recreational access to the beach is a priority for the refuge; this is managed
under a special partnership with the NPS to allow NPS to administer a 1-mile portion of
the beach. As part of a wildlife refuge, Assateague beach is a unique swimming beach,
offering a unique wildlife experience (including the world-famous Chincoteague ponies)
along with recreational uses. There are approximately 1.4 million visitors each year to
the refuge, most of whom visit the beach; half of the visits to the refuge occur during the
months of June, July, and August.
As a barrier island, Assateague is constantly moving, as tidal currents and storms
move the sand. Overall, the island is moving westward at a rate of approximately 5 to 10
feet per year through a process known as “island rollover,” in which overwash and winds
move sand from the beach side to the marsh/bay side of the island. The sand also moves
south along the island, and harsher winter storms pull sand from the dunes into offshore
sand bars, reducing the beach width. All of these processes are affected by sea level rise
and the increased frequency and intensity of storms. The map illustrates some of these issues,
showing the changing shoreline in the Toms Cove Hook area from 1849 to 2002.
Currently, there are 961 parking spaces for the beach at Assateague, which
is adequate for the number of visitors (up to 3,400 per day) on all but 5 to 10 days
a year (on these days, the beach operates on a “one on, one off” basis). The issue is
whether the refuge and the NPS can maintain the parking lots. Historically, the
parking lots were permanent structures, with asphalt paving and permanent
beach houses. However, the asphalt had harmful environmental effects, and actually
accelerated the erosion of the beach and movement of the island. In addition,
artificial dunes were used to inhibit sand from blowing into the parking lots;
however, this sand was blown south into Toms Cove or blown into the
parking lots anyway. The current policy is to allow the sand to blow, and to use
crushed shells for the parking lots and access roads.
The November, 2009, northeaster washed out all the parking lots, with up to
3 feet of sand, flattening everything. The parking lots were overwashed eight times
in 2009. Each time the parking lots have to be rebuilt it can cost more than $600K;
funds must be applied for by NPS on an emergency basis. “The challenge,” according
to Carl Zimmerman of the NPS, “is that the frequency of the projects makes it
questionable if it’s really an emergency.”
Climate change is the main challenge that is driving this issue, with both sea
level rise and the increased frequency and intensity of storms. Not only are these
forces wreaking havoc with the man-made infrastructure of the roads and parking
lots, they’re also contributing to the erosion of the beach itself. Refuge Manager
Lou Hinds points to a U.S. Geologic Survey marker that was 115 yards from the
surf line when it was set in 1964, and that is now in the surf a loss of 115 yards in
47 years, or roughly 2.5 yards a year. At this rate, the concern is that there won’t
be room soon for both the parking lots and a reasonably sized beach. Hinds also
points out that overwash events can occur in the absence of storms “with a good
high tide and a wind from the east, I’ve seen it push the water across the beaches
on a beautiful bluebird day.” He noted that on the Eastern Shore we are dealing
not only with sea level rise but also with subsidence due to the meteor strike near
Cape Charles, which magnifies the effect. Although the exact rate of sea level rise
can be debated, Hinds chose a figure of 1 meter over the next 100 years, in part
based on the state projection of 3 to 5 feet over the next century; there are now
indications that this estimate may be low.
As mandated by Congress, climate change must be included in the
planning process for all agencies, including the CCP for the refuge. A
climate change model commissioned by the refuge in 2009
showed radical alteration or disappearance of significant coastal
and inland habitat over the next 100 years. The refuge is currently
working with the Marine Science Consortium and
NASA to gather exact bare earth elevation data (ie, without vegetation) to make
the model more precise in order to aid in planning.
The process for the refuge CCP is a two-year process. Initial planning was
begun in 2009, and the final plan is due in 2012. This is a 15-year plan required
for all National Wildlife Refuges; the last plan for Chincoteague NWR (which was
then called a Master Plan) was in 1992.
The National Seashore is also undergoing a plan revision for the Seashore
General Management Plan (GMP), a 20-year plan required for all National Parks.
This process was begun in the summer of 2009, with a final GMP due in winter
of 2012 and implementation in spring of 2012. Planning considerations outlined
for the GMP include “infrastructure such as roads, parking lots, and buildings [that]
may be at risk due to the highly dynamic nature of the island. This issue may increase
as global climate change accelerates the rate of sea level rise and the intensity
of coastal storms.” According to Carl Zimmerman of the Park
Service, the primary decision-making will lie with the refuge and
the Fish & Wildlife Service. The final GMP will have fairly broad
statements to support the inter-agency agreement under which
NPS manages beach recreation for the Fish & Wildlife Service.
The refuge CCP will address the complete scope of issues
that the refuge faces, only one of which will be access to the
beach. However, this is the issue that has raised the most awareness
and concern. An initial Alternative Transportation Study by
VOLPE Center of U.S. Dept. of Transportation was contracted by
the Chincoteague NWR, the Fish & Wildlife Service, Assateague
Island National Seashore, the NPS, the town of Chincoteague,
and Accomack County. A public forum on the VOLPE study
was held in Chincoteague on April 6, 2010, at the beginning of
the 2-year CCP process. The draft alternatives for transportation
will be published in late July or early August of this year, with
a subsequent comment period and one or more public meetings;
a minimum of four alternatives will be presented. Currently, the
alternatives that have been identified include:
• No action
• Retention of all parking capacity at the beach, with safety and
efficiency improvements
• Partial relocation of the beach parking capacity
• Elimination and relocation of all beach parking capacity
One alternative that has been mentioned is relocating the
beach and parking to a spot north of the current beach, where
the island is wider and may be more stable. This would require
investment in additional infrastructure for roads and new parking
lots. Refuge Manager Hinds made the distinction that, although
the Park Service is responsible for securing funds on an emergency
basis for rebuilding of the parking lots after storms and
overwash events, the refuge and Fish & Wildlife Service will be
responsible for securing funds for the infrastructure that is recommended
in the final CCP. “We want to make sure we get the full
life expectancy out of that infrastructure,” he added.
The refuge is also pursuing an option to purchase Maddox
Family Campground on Chincoteague. The 1992 Master Plan for
the refuge identified the desire to have a property off Assateague
Island to be available as an alternative in case the beach parking
lots are lost due to a summer storm or hurricane, to provide
the capability of emergency parking or for supplemental parking
with a shuttle service. The current option with Maddox Family
Campground is the first time that a viable property has become
available. The refuge has a letter of intent to purchase the campground,
but funding has not yet been secured.
The challenges with alternative transportation to the beach
include:
• Typical public transit vehicles can’t easily accommodate the
kind of bulky items (boogie boards, coolers, beach chairs,
umbrellas, etc.) that beachgoers carry.
• Most beachgoers are in multi-person parties.
• There will be a need to get people off the beach and to shelter
quickly during thunderstorms.
• It would need to be decided whether to have a single departure
point on Chincoteague, or have a circulating route to several
points at motels and campgrounds.
• Visitors and the town should not feel that an alternative system
is being forced upon them, so introducing the system gradually,
with ample education, a user-friendly system, and a
“holiday atmosphere” will be key.
The beach at Assateague provides the economic basis for
the town of Chincoteague and the surrounding area. The bridge
from Chincoteague to Assateague was built approximately 50
years ago, and the town’s economy has been linked to the refuge
and the beach ever since. As fishing incomes have declined, the
reliance of the town on recreation and tourism has increased.
According to Jack Tarr, Mayor of Chincoteague, “70% to 80% of
our businesses depend on the beach. A lot of jobs are generated,
and a lot of money goes to the county, state, and federal government
from tourism.” A study by the Fish & Wildlife Service for
fiscal year 1995 showed that visits to the refuge and the beach
generated over $65 million of spending in the region. The town
of Chincoteague is currently working with the refuge on an economic
impact study to determine the actual impact of any change
to the current situation. In an initial survey, with 1,500 responses,
the number one thing people said they like to do when visiting
Chincoteague is to go to the beach. Although there has been considerable
growth in the use of the beach, the town hasn’t asked
for more than the current 961 spaces in the new CCP. However,
there is some indication that an alternative transportation system
could actually increase visitation to the beach, since the NPS
allows for a maximum of 4,400 visitors per day, and the current
system limits this on most days to 3,400 visitors.
Mayor Tarr pointed out that people do not like to ride a
trolley system, and that the small trolley system the town runs
on Chincoteague Island probably costs more than $600,000 a
year, which is equivalent to the cost of completely replacing the
parking lots every couple of years. He also is concerned with the
accuracy of the sea level rise being factored into the plan, and
added, “Why base a 15-year plan on a 100-year rise?”
According to recent reports, Congressman Scott Rigell met
with NWR to advocate for continued full capacity of the beach
parking lot, and added in a May 27 follow-up letter that he was
“disturbed to find that preserving human access to the recreational
beach was not among the 7 CCP goals listed.”
According to Refuge Manager Lou Hinds, “There’s a feeling
in the community that the refuge and NPS are ‘at fault’ for what’s
taking place. We’re just reacting to the cards Mother Nature deals
us. Unfortunately, sea level rise and coastal storms are happening,
and we’re being forced to consider our options. The economic
environment requires us to do so. At some point in the future,
we’re going to run out of habitat for both parking and the beach. At
the same time,” he added, “the community needs the recreational
beach it’s their lifeblood.” Hinds also related an incident where
an out-of-state visitor actually suggested a shuttle service, so there
may not be as much resistance as feared. “We need to make it fun,
part of the experience,” he said. “As a community, we have to
figure this out. We’re not the only [ones] facing this situation,” and
there may be opportunities for the business community to step in
to provide the necessities for beachgoers and visitors.
For the latest news on the CCP, as well as extensive background
information, you can go to the Chincoteague National
Wildlife Refuge website (http://www.fws.gov/northeast/chinco).
For information on Assateague Island National Seashore and the
latest news on the GMP, you can go to their website at http://
www.nps.gov/asis.
