The State of Virginias Wetlands: A Study of Hughlett Point and Dameron Marsh A December piece in the Richmond Times

Dispatch covered the state of Dameron Marsh, a Natural Area Preserve in Southeast Virginia.1 Dameron Marsh and the nearby Hughlett Point, are two of many wetlands in the region experiencing severe erosion, strongly linked to sea level rise. Dameron and Hughlett Point are not likely to survive expected rates of sea level rise and erosion associated with future climate change. However, there is hope for the future of Virginias wetlands. Certain wetlands may be able to adapt by moving inland, and restoration projects are creating new marshes across the Chesapeake region. After visiting Dameron and seeing pictures from Hughlett Point, I contacted the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation for more information on the future of Dameron Marsh and Hughlett Point, and the state of Virginias wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay region. Dameron Marsh is located in Northumberland County. It is a 316-acre hook shaped peninsula, which reaches out into the Chesapeake Bay. The Marsh is losing an alarming 8 feet of shoreline per year from erosion. The rate of erosion is unprecedented when compared with historic records from the area. Two co-occurring processes are having a major impact on Virginias Chesapeake beachfronts. Southeastern Virginia is sinking2, and sea levels are expected to rise at least 2 feet per century3. These two conditions
1

Richmond Times Dispatch, Erosion, Rising Seas Taking Bay Beaches and Marshes, http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/erosion-rising-seas-taking-baybeaches-and-marshes/article_539060e4-9dbc-5c9b-b374-a86bf86694f1.html. 2 See 2013 USGS study: Land Subsidence and Relative Sea-Level Rise in the Southern Chesapeake Bay Region. Authors Jack Eggleston and Jason Pope report that subsidence (downward shifting of the land) has been observed in the Southern Chesapeake region since the 1940s at rates of 1.1 to 4.8 millimeters per year. Eggleston and Pope explain the reasons for subsidence and argue that regional sinking is responsible for the Southern Chesapeake region having the highest rates of sea level rise on the Atlantic Coast. USGS, Land Subsidence and Relative Sea-Level Rise in the Southern Chesapeake Region, http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1392/pdf/circ1392.pdf. 3 Wetlands Watch, an organization based out of Norfolk, Virginia, recently released a report on adaptation to sea level rise in Virginia. The organization used data from NOAAs Newport News tide gauges to claim that Virginia has the highest measured rate of sea level rise on the Atlantic Coast of the U.S. The historic rate of sea level rise in the Chesapeake region is 0.44 meters per century (1.45 feet). Rates of sea level rise are expected to increase to at least 0.7 meters (2.3 feet) per 100 years, but could reach 1.58 meters (5.2 feet) in the coming century. Wetlands Watch, A Toolkit for Sea Level Rise Adaptation in Virginia, http://www.wetlandswatch.org/Portals/3/WW%20documents/sea-levelrise/ASCE%20Meeting%20Paper.pdf.

accelerate natural erosion processes, and wash away shoreline from preserves such as Dameron Marsh. Hughlett Point, just South of Dameron, is a 204-acre Natural Area Preserve, with wetlands experiencing very similar conditions. The problems facing Hughlett and Dameron are almost identical. Walking along the shoreline at each site, one can see uprooted trees, trunks exposed in the open water, and eroded beachfronts. At Dameron, some of the exposed trees are loblolly pines, which Rebecca Wilson, the Chesapeake Bay Region Steward at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, planted 15 years ago as an attempt to defend against erosion. It seems that any further restoration attempts would be futile. The future of Dameron and Hughlett Point are bleak. It is likely that, with additional sea level rise and erosion, the wetlands at these two sites will become mud flats or open water, possibly within the next 50-100 years. The loss of wetlands at Hughlett Point and Dameron Marsh will be irreversible. Wetlands provide many services for the Bay, by acting as a natural filter for water before it reaches the estuary, and acting as a home to many different species. Hughlett and Dameron provide habitat for the endangered tiger beetle, found in very few other places along the East Coast. Dameron, particularly, is an important site for waterfowl, and associated recreational activities, such as duck hunting. All of these services, be they ecologically or recreationally focused, will be affected with the disappearance of wetlands at Dameron and Hughlett Point. The future of other wetlands in the Chesapeake region is not as grim as it is at these two sites. Many wetlands may be able to adapt to sea level rise and erosion by migrating inland, provided that the surrounding land is undeveloped. In other areas across the region, restoration efforts are being made to rebuild or recreate marshes and wetlands. Belle Haven, for example, is a beach on the Eastern Shore, that was impacted by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The storm wiped away 2 feet of land from the shoreline. The answer to the erosion of natural wetlands at this site has been to create a living shorelinea manmade wetland created by the planting of marsh grasses. Over 1000 feet of marsh grasses have been planted at Belle Haven.4 Living shorelines have become quite popular in recent years, at protected areas like Belle Haven, and private beachfront properties in the Chesapeake region. Living shorelines may be the answer for marshes that are not able to adapt fast enough to sea level rise and accelerating rates of erosion. However, recreated marshes work best on secluded tidal creeks, not on the bayfront. Dameron and Hughlett have bayfront shorelines. Marsh grasses, much like the pine trees planted at Dameron, are not likely to successfully defend against erosion, or be able to survive with sea level rise.

Richmond Times Dispatch, Living Shoreline Aims to Heal Sandy Damage, http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/living-shoreline-aims-to-heal-sandydamage/article_4de9380b-7b57-5c39-80f2-c71077e685a8.html.

It is not likely that Dameron Marsh and Hughlett Point will be able to survive changes associated with climate change. However, I have hope that with adaptation and restoration efforts, many wetlands across the Chesapeake region will not share this same fate.