Environmental Studies Commons^™

New Perspectives On The Ocean Economy Of The Mid-Atlantic States, Charles Colgan

Publications

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Climate Change On Virginia's Coastal Areas, Jonathan L. Goodall, Antonio Elias, Elizabeth Andrews, Christopher "Kit" Chope, John Cosgrove, Jason El Koubi, Jennifer Irish, Lewis L. Lawrence Iii, Robert W. Lazaro Jr., William H. Leighty, Mark W. Luckenbach, Elise Miller-Hooks, Ann C. Phillips, Henry Pollard V, Emily Steinhilber, Charles Feigenoff, Jennifer Sayegh

Faculty Publications

As part of HJ47/SJ47 (2020), the Virginia General Assembly directed the Joint Commission on Technology and Science (JCOTS) to study the “safety, quality of life, and economic consequences of weather and climate-related events on coastal areas in Virginia.” In pursuit of this goal, the commission was to “accept any scientific and technical assistance provided by the nonpartisan, volunteer Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (VASEM). VASEM convened an expert study board with representation from the Office of the Governor, planning district commissions in coastal Virginia, The Port of Virginia, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, state universities, private industry, and …

Dead Wolf To Red Wolf: Virginia Reintroduction Habitat Suitability, Hector Gomez

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

Red wolves (Canis Rufus) are the most endangered species of red wolves. All red wolves currently in the wild are in the Albemarle Peninsula in North Carolina. Red wolf population in the Albemarle decreased from a peak of around 113-149 wolves in 2014 to 15-17 wolves in 2021. Most red wolf mortalities for this wild population occurred from anthropogenic causes such as accidental shooting, poaching, and vehicle strikes. The purpose of this study is to assess the suitability of the Delmarva Peninsula as a potential reintroduction site for another red wolf population. To do so I analyzed the land cover, …

Fostering University Collaboration And Building Capacity To Respond To Coastal Resilience Challenges In Virginia: Findings From The Rotating Resilience Roundtables Workshop Spring 2019, Wie Yusuf, Michelle Covi, Anamaria Bukvic, Tom Allen, Taiwo Oguntuyo

Presentations, Lectures, Posters, Reports

[from Background and Overview]

Communities in coastal Virginia, particularly in the urban region of Hampton Roads and the rural Eastern Shore peninsula, are experiencing the impacts of climate change as part of everyday life. Among the most apparent impacts are sea level rise and associated flooding, but increasingly residents of the region are observing changing ecosystems, health impacts and complex social challenges are made more difficult. The region is experiencing the fastest rate of relative sea level rise on the U.S. east coast due to interactions between ocean currents, global sea level rise, high-water tables and ground subsidence (Adapt Virginia …

Reedy Creek: Formal And Informal Policies Influencing The Stream Restoration, Emily Onufer

Geography and the Environment Capstone Projects

Many analyses, especially in the field of sociology, have debated the influence of informal groups such as nonprofits, coalitions, and consultants on formal policy-making bodies, mainly government agencies (see West 2004, Verloo2016). The Reedy Creek restoration project involved numerous policy-makers and stakeholders, all of whom influenced the project’s direction and outcomes in some way. Policy was a driving force behind the project from its inception. This analysis examines the roles and influence of the various stakeholders involved in the Reedy Creek restoration project, and attempts to analyze the influence formal and informal policy-making bodies can have on small-scale environmental management …

Environmental Management In Richmond, Virginia: A Case Study Of Reedy Creek, Emily Onufer, Jared Goldbach Ehmer, Andrew Loesch, Christie Marsh

Geography and the Environment Capstone Projects

This report analyzes the Reedy Creek restoration project through four distinct lenses and aims to achieve a fuller understanding of the factors influencing the project’s success or failure. We hope this report contributes to a greater appreciation of the complex and vast amount of decisions both cities and stakeholders make when complying with environmental regulations. Moreover, we hope to provide invaluable learning opportunities for future environmental projects undertaken in the City of Richmond.

Paper prepared for the Environmental Studies Senior Seminar/Geography Capstone.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. David Salisbury

Reedy Creek: A Stream Science And Spatial Statistics Approach, Jared Goldbach Ehmer, Andrew Loesch

Geography and the Environment Capstone Projects

In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued updated rules regarding Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) levels for three primary pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay: nitrogen, phosphorus, and total suspended sediment (TSS). The EPA required Richmond to draft Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs) detailing individual pollution reduction goals and specific actions required to achieve those goals. The City of Richmond intended to complete stream restoration projects on five urban streams, including Reedy Creek. The City of Richmond commissioned Timmons Group to complete erosion analyses and recommend stream sections for restoration. The following (1) examines the relationship between spatial stream statistics …

Reedy Creek: Values Constraining The Adaptive Capacity To Environmental Regulation In The Forest Hill Neighborhood, Christie Marsh

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2014, 1) defines vulnerability as, “The extent to which a natural or social system is susceptible to sustaining damage from climate change.” Vulnerability is a function of both the physical system’s sensitivity to changes in climate and the ability of the societal system to adapt to said changes. Recently, organizations formed to produce assessments that define regional vulnerabilities to environmental issues for the sake of informing adaptation policies. With the increasing threat of a changing climate, adaptation policies are both a necessary and urgent response for successful adapting (Adger 2009). The majority of …

Life Cycle Cost Assessment: A Win-Win For Virginia Wetlands, Austen Kelso

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

Virginia shorelines are facing some of the highest rates of sea level rise seen over the last 5 millennia and are among the most vulnerable coastlines in the country to the effects of sea level rise such as flooding and storm surge (Down et al. 1994). In the face of these rising sea levels, coastal wetland habitats will be forced to migrate inland to avoid inundation (Akumu et al. 2011). However, increased development on the Virginia coast threatens these critical wetland habitats by blocking their inland movement as the try to avoid rapidly rising sea levels. Without a clear migratory …

Changes To Shoreline Hardening Process In The Face Of Climate Change, George Appling

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

As a result of global climate change, sea level has risen and will continue to rise throughout the 21st century. Sea level rise has been higher in Virginia than any other state over the past 100 years (US Climate Change Science Program 2009). Varied projections show that sea level could rise 1.2 to 5.5 feet above 1992 levels by 2100 (Boon et al. 2010; Ezer and Corlette 2012; Sallengar et al. 2012). Sea level rise threatens to drown intertidal wetlands (Craft et al. 2009; FitzGerald et al. 2010; Kirwan and Guntenspergen 2010; Menon et al. 2010). Wetlands are key biodiversity …

The Adopt-A-Wetland Program, Lindsey Hines

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

Wetlands are a “biological super system” hosting a vital reservoir of biodiversity potential. Conserving wetlands and protecting their biodiversity is instrumental in upholding the ecosystem services wetlands provide. These ecosystem services of flood control, food supply, clean water, recreational areas and more are major elements in Virginia’s economy and cultural society. Current models projecting climate change impacts on the Virginian coastline predict sea-level rise to be incompatible with rate of migration and adaptation needed for wetlands. Existing wetland conservation efforts are lacking the required action to combat these imminent problems. Land acquisition is essential to accommodate wetland migration to ensure …

Requiring Responsible Mitigation Banking, Julia Baer

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

In the national attempt to achieve “no-net-loss” of wetlands, the business of wetland mitigation banking has experienced enormous growth over the past few decades. These banks’ purpose is to compensate for wetland loss due to development through the restoration and creation of wetlands elsewhere. While this mitigates the rate of wetland loss, “no-net-loss” is not truly achieved because development is the only federally recognized force destroying wetlands today. Wetland mitigation banks should be required to take sea level rise into account when selecting new sites, and forbidden from using sites where function losses exceed 5% within 50 years, using the …

Climate Change And Invasive Species: Invasive Management Teams, Virginia Fredliani

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

In Virginia, invasive species cost the state approximately $1 billion annually due to forest loss and crop damage (Pimentel et al. 2005). There are approximately 38 invasive species and suffer as a result, which affects biodiversity (Tausch 2008). Invasive species alter the balance of ecosystems, reducing biodiversity and ecosystem health (Gamfeldt et al. 2008). Climate change is another driver in the success of invasive species as they are better adapted to withstand climate changes over native species (Duke and Mooney 1999). To combat invasive species in Virginia this recommendation proposes the establishment of early detection and rapid response Invasive Management …

Proposal For A Virginia Seed Bank, Casey Schmidt

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

Climate change is causing the ranges of native species to shift northward at a pace that outstrips the ability of many plant species to migrate and adapt (Walther et al. 2002; Renwick & Rocca 2014). Although assisted migration, the process of relocating individuals or spread of seeds through human intervention, has been used successfully in some cases to preserve species, it comes saddled with potential ecological damage and legal complications arise when these ranges cross state lines. These complications threaten Virginia’s biodiversity, especially among rare plants and those plants from habitat affected most by climate change. In order to preserve …

Recommendations For Conservation Easement Reform, Amy Murphy

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

Virginia has a well-established easement program which offers landowners a state income tax credit in return for donating land rights such as development and subdivision rights. Currently, there are inefficiencies with easements which could be lessened with reform (Owley 2011, Rissman 2011). This paper proposes that Virginia establish statewide conservation priorities and switches from a flat rate credit for easement donations to a tiered system which provides greater incentives for easements on land with high conservation value (McLaughlin and Pidot 2013). Additionally, this paper proposes that Virginia require adaptive language in easement terms and standardizes monitoring procedures.

Poster session prepared …

Branching Out: How Virginia Can Strategically Use Trees To Combat Biodiversity Loss, Taylor Pfeiffer

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

Biodiversity loss is a particularly concerning effect of climate change because as greenhouse gas emissions increase global temperatures, decreases in the abundance and diversity of species has reduced ecosystem resiliency to these changes (Verchot et al. 2007). Weakened ecosystems and threatened species decrease the environment’s capacity to provide humans with services like safe drinking water, fuel, and protection from natural disasters, just to name a few (US EPA 2013). The agricultural industry plays a unique role in this environmental conversation, as farmland both contributes to climate change and is jeopardized by the negative effects created by the issue in a …

Nature, Virginia's Economy, And The Climate Threat, Casey Schmidt, Taylor Pfeiffe, Amy Murphy, Virginia Frediani, Natalya Ares, George Appling, Emma Thomson, Austen Kelso, Julia Baer, Lindsey Hines, Andrew Denney

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

The Commission's charge is to propose solutions to you for climate-related issues facing the Commonwealth. Our Symposium today also takes up that challenge. In this booklet you will find research and recommendations for you -- and all of Virginia's governing bodies – for how best to protect our state's priceless and economically essential natural heritage as climate changes disrupt our ecosystems.

Paper prepared for Environmental Studies Senior Seminar.

Faculty advisers: Dr. Peter D. Smallwood and Stephen P. Nash

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar 2003: Invasive Species, Kyle Hegamyer, Byron Deluke, Allyson Ladley, Lucas Nagy, Brian Webb, Steve Nash, Matthew Rose

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

The class of 2003 was the first to graduate with Environmental Studies degrees from the University of Richmond. At that time, the Senior Seminar was a two-semester class, ENVR 391 and 392. It was taught by a pair of professors; Stephen P. Nash, Journalism, and Peter D. Smallwood, Biology. Students chose the problem of invasive species for their focus. With tremendous help from the staff of the Virginia chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and from Delegate James Dillard, the students proposed legislation to help Virginia deal with this environmental problem. Students wrote opinion pieces for local papers throughout Virginia in …