In the Summer 2015 issue of Forum Journal authors examined the state of historic preservation in the face of sea level rise. As part of this issue Preservation Leadership Forum developed and linked to a variety of pieces of enhanced content -- one of which were three GIS maps that underscored the import of digitization in identifying and protecting cultural resources. The issue also included four additional pieces of enhanced content, each providing more tools and conversation on the threat cultural resources face across the country.
Landmarks at Risk
In this blog post, Adam Markham, deputy director of Climate and Energy Program for the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) describes the risks facing historic properties and landscapes in the coming years, emphasizing the need to develop a national priority on climate resilience. Accompanying his article in the Summer Forum Journal was a slide show from UCS's seminal Landmarks at Risk report which examines one of the growing consequences of climate change.
John Englander at PastForward2014
John Englander, author of High Tide on Main Street: Rising Sea Level and the Coming Coastal Crisis spoke at the 2014 PastForward conference in Savannah, Ga. In the Summer 2015 Forum Journal, Englander said that "rising sea level is exactly the opposite [of storm floods] in all those aspects. The impact is global and slow, it affects lowlands and tidal rivers far inland, and it is essentially permanent. Unlike a storm, rising sea level does give us time to prepare. That is a blessing. We still have time to plan and adapt, but no time to waste." Hear more from Englander below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_KXHCH0CpI
Climate Science, Climate Change, and Cultural Resources
Another author in this issue is Robert Melnick, professor emeritus of landscape architecture at the University of Oregon. His piece in Forum Journal offers options on preparing for and mitigating sea level rise in terms of cultural landscapes. In 2014 he presented at a webinar called Climate Science, Climate Change and Cultural Resources. You can watch the full session below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOKku3v1I_4&feature=youtu.be
Bonus: Climate Change and Historic Resources: Protection, Adaptation, and Abandonment
This past April, Anthony Veerkamp, field director at the National Trust, compiled this presentation for the California Preservation Conference in San Diego. His presentation Climate Change and Historic Resources: Protection, Adaptation, and Abandonment walks through the various policies, executive orders, and laws in California as it pertains to environmental sustainability and historic resources. You can view his presentation and notes here.
Don't forget to also read the web companions on sea level rise:
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