Helping the National Park Service Assess Vulnerability of Northeast Region Parks to Flooding and Erosion

3. Fire Island National Seashore, New York: Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment.

This activity involves conducting a climate change vulnerability assessment for Fire Island National Seashore on Long Island in New York State, to help park managers prioritize climate adaptation actions by demonstrating a process for parks to set climate change priorities park-wide, and address vulnerability accounting for natural, cultural and facility assets. The project is in coordination with a parallel effort led by the Sustainable Operations and Climate Change (SOCC) branch, partnered with Western Carolina University to do a Facilities vulnerability assessment. The results are intended to help park managers identify and choose adaptation actions for the priority vulnerable resources. The vulnerability assessment is intended to be used to justify actions and pursue funding to implement adaptation actions or to justify reducing investments in highly vulnerable resources that are not a top priority. It draws upon guidance from the National Park Service including The Coastal Adaptation Strategies Handbook, Cultural Resources Climate Change Strategy, as well as other sources such as Scanning the Conservation Horizon: A Guide to Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment.