• Start-up
  • Planning
  • Action
  • Evaluation

This project was a cross-unit effort to engage the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Chesapeake and Coastal Service Unit and the Maryland Park Service in protecting a unique peninsula in Southern Maryland that serves as a State Park with agricultural resources and numerous recreational opportunities. 

This site was selected due to its unique geography and vulnerability to climate impacts including: temperature increases, changing growing seasons, increasing precipitation, sea level rise, and invasive species. Potential responses include facilitating species transitions, habitat restoration, crop rotation, and community outreach.

Project Area

Aerial view of Newtowne Neck, a mosaic of forest, farmland, and beaches surrounded by ocean.
Newtowne Neck State Park is a 794-acre peninsula surrounded by Breton Bay, St. Clements Bay and the Potomac River. It has seven miles of ecologically and recreationally important waterfront. There is a ~330-acre active agricultural lease. The property contains primarily sandy loam soils and has ~16 acres of tidal marsh. There is a forested buffer along the entire peninsula, approximately 100-feet wide or less. The Park has water access that includes swimming as well as an existing trail network and Park infrastructure including a water treatment facility, roads, parking lots, and operational buildings.

Management Goals

Aerial view of red barn and homestead, farm fields in the background, and open water past the farm fields.

The main goals are to 1) Improve the quality of the forest, especially the forest buffer, present at Newtowne Neck State Park and ensure this forest is resilient to climate impacts moving forward; 2) ensure any continued agriculture at the park is sustainable with climate impacts; 3) provide a sustainable swimming beach for park visitors; and protect the shoreline to reduce the impacts from flooding. Specific management objectives include: 

  • Increase forested buffer to 300 feet along the entire shoreline of the peninsula, ensuring saltwater tolerant species are used (5 years)
  • Assess climate impacts to current agricultural land and determine if adjustments to farming BMPs are needed to continue medium-term agricultural use. (5 years) 
  • Create a plan for long-term phasing out of agriculture and determine what habitat types should replace it (e.g., reforestation, meadow, wetlands, etc.)
  • Assess the current state of the swimming beach and determine if adaptation strategies are necessary to keep the area viable for recreation as climate changes accumulate
  • Employ erosion mitigation techniques to ensure swimming is safe and feasible. (10 years)

Climate Change Impacts

For this project, the most important anticipated climate change impacts include:
Temperatures in the Mid-Atlantic region are projected to increase on average by 5.27 to 9.11°F by the end of the century.
The growing season in the Mid-Atlantic is generally expected to increase by 21 days or more by the end of the century, due to fewer days with a minimum temperature below 32°F.
The winter season will be shorter and milder across the Mid-Atlantic region, with less precipitation falling as snow and reduced snow cover and depth.
Precipitation patterns will be altered, with projected increases in total annual precipitation distributed unevenly among colder months (more) and warmer months (less).
Intense precipitation events will continue to become more frequent in the Mid-Atlantic.
Sea levels along the Mid-Atlantic coast are expected to rise by 2 to 3 feet or more by the end of the century. Storm-driven saltwater intrusion may impact forest and agricultural lands.
Soil moisture patterns will change in the Mid-Atlantic with the potential for drier soil conditions later in the growing season.
Forest vegetation may face increased risk of physiological drought during the growing season.
Climate conditions will increase wildfire risk by the end of the century.
Many invasive species (e.g., phragmites), insect pests, and pathogens in the Mid-Atlantic will increase or become more damaging.
Forest composition will change across the landscape. Northern/boreal species are expected to decline, while southern/temperate species are expected to fare well in warmer climate.
Increases in water temperature may increase the number of hypoxic events.

Challenges and Opportunities

Climate change will present challenges and opportunities for accomplishing the management objectives of this project, including:

Challenges

Sea level rise and erosion might lead to habitat loss along the shoreline, preventing trees from being able to grow.
Transitioning to wetland habitat may be challenging with the prevalence of phragmites in Maryland. Interventions will be required to create a healthy marsh where agriculture exists now.
Increased frequency and severity of storms could worsen erosion rates along the beach and/or make swimming unsafe
On agricultural lands, corn and soybean production may decrease with temperature increases.

Opportunities

In the absence of stressors, forest productivity is expected to increase over the short term.
At least 25 new species may be able to survive in Maryland in the future, allowing for a diverse array of tree species to be planted.
With an increase in the length of the frost-free season and shifting growing degree-days for crops, there are opportunities to experiment with new crops, varieties, and markets.
If reforestation is chosen as the restoration technique, funds from the Maryland Five Million Trees initiative could be used.
Many restoration techniques exist to continue operations at the swimming beach, including beach replenishment, living shorelines, and the installation of offshore breakwaters.

Adaptation Actions

Project participants used the Adaptation Workbook to develop several adaptation actions for this project, including:

Area/Topic
Approach
Tactics
Swimming beach
Providing interpretive information, such as maps and aerial photos, that shows the changing and variable conditions at the park can be helpful for visitors to understand the conditions they may face in their visit may be different than anticipated.
There are already many rock sills and breakwaters around the peninsula but shifting to living shorelines and more vegetation will enhance the shoreline area’s ability to accommodate changes in water levels.
Utilizing green infrastructure whenever possible will increase resilience.
Loblolly pine forest buffer
Management should favor loblolly pine (a native species) in the buffer around Newtowne Neck.
Managers can practice forest thinning to reduce the density of a pest’s host species and create a diverse mix of age classes and stand structures.
Prompt revegetation of sites following disturbance helps reduce soil loss and erosion, maintain water quality, and discourage invasive species. If/when plants are uprooted or damaged after storm events, park staff can be prepared with appropriate species.
Agricultural land
Areas being phased out of active agriculture are another opportunity to plant native marsh species and establish wetland plants.
Farmers can try different crop species at Newtowne Neck that may fare better under changing conditions, for example sweet potatoes or peppers that are favorable to high heat.
Farmers can change the timing of field operations or take advantage of a longer growing season with two successive crops on the current ag lands.

Monitoring

Project participants identified several monitoring items that could help inform future management, including:
Shoreline rate of change (twice/year): using an RTK GPS unit, staff can walk designated transects on the swimming beach to monitor erosion rates and determine if additional interventions are needed.
Size of tree buffer around the peninsula: transects can be used to collect data at fixed points around the park to verify buffer size and tree density. We could also partner with other organizations and search for aerial imagery (or consider drones).
Survival of planted crops on the agricultural lands: information will be gathered by park staff from the farmers who lease the land at Newtowne Neck.
Changes in shoreline erosion and impacts of flooding: the MyCoast app will be used to document flooding and assess trends and change over time; this is a participatory science tool that allows anyone with a smartphone to upload flooding photos.

Project Videos

Keywords

Agriculture/ Agroforestry
Coastal
Forest threats
Water resources

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