SNOW HILL — The Worcester County Commissioners voiced concerns last week about the future of Assateague Island.
The National Park Service (NPS) presented a new Draft General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (Draft GMP/EIS) for Assateague Island last week to the commissioners.
The draft provides alternatives to the current management plan that would allow the island to better manage changes that are occurring on the island as a result of climate change, sea level rise and the demands placed on the reserve by summer tourists. The last GMP for the island was adopted 34 years ago, and no longer properly addresses the challenges the seashore faces in the 21st Century.
Four alternatives to the current GMP have been drafted by the NPS. Some commissioners, like Bud Church, were vocally displeased with the proposals.
“I have concerns with most of the alternatives, and I’m very concerned we’re considering not maintaining the park in its current state,” said Church. “We have a huge investment on the mainland in reference to what happens on the island.”
Church proposed a motion to draft a letter addressing their concerns with the proposals currently on the table.
The alternative GMP’s ranged in scope from simply continuing with the majority of the current park practices with minor adjustments to completely phasing out recreation over a period of time and allowing the seashore to return to its original, “primitive” state. The NPS’s recommended proposal strikes a balance between the two. It strives to maintain the integrity of the island’s ecosystems, while allowing recreation to continue.
Emphasis on sustainability and contingency planning for the inevitable storms was present in all of the alternative plans.
“We believe that our preferred alternative best meets the need to protect the seashore and provide great experiences for visitors. It allows for visitor facilities and activities to move over time as the island moves westward, while reducing the risk of a long-term park closure in the event of a catastrophic storm.” said Deborah Darden, Superintendent of Assateague Island National Seashore. “Like many parks in the national park system, Assateague Island is working to address complex issues that reflect our changing environment and society. One of the most challenging is the dynamic coastal processes, that are natural to a barrier island like Assateague, in combination with changes that are the result of climate change and sea level rise.”
The commissioners voiced concerns about the Ocean City Inlet depth, and the projects involving moving sand from Ocean City to Assateague as well as future plans the county has in terms of infrastructure planning like the proposed bike path between Berlin and the beaches. The plans presented to the Worcester County Commissioners did not address these pressing issues, and this omission drew criticism from some of the commissioners.
The NPS also stressed that this plan would have absolutely no impact on commercial fishing in the area and the approval of a GMP does not guarantee the funding of the plan. NPS will accept comments on the Draft GMP /EIS from the public until May 1 and has held public open houses in Salisbury, Berlin, and Chincoteague to gather comments on the new Draft GMP/EIS during the public review period that began in January. The approval process for the GMP will continue through 2016, with final approval expected in the fall or winter.