The late winter and early spring of
2010 was not a time for enjoying the outdoors in the Ocean State. In what may have
been the most significant flooding Rhode Island has experienced in its recorded
history, more than 20 inches of rain fell during a 38-day period, culminating
in a storm that dropped eight inches on the state from March 29 to April 1. The
effects were devastating, especially along the Pawtuxet River in Warwick and
West Warwick, which rose to more than 11 feet above flood level. Dams and
bridges were washed out, homes were destroyed, and businesses and
infrastructure were severely damaged.
“The malls in Warwick were flooded
because all the water in the Pawtuxet River is forced through a narrow channel
between the malls where there are no wetlands, and it got over the
Audubon’s refuges weren’t spared.
The trails at the Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge in Exeter were completely
impassable – water was waist deep in places – as the brook overflowed its
banks. The house at the Marion Eppley Wildlife Refuge in West Kingston became
an island for several days as the surrounding flood plain swelled. And the
11-acre Carr Pond at the Maxwell Mays Wildlife Refuge in Coventry multiplied in
size.
But none of the refuges were
irreparably harmed. In fact, they played a crucial role in helping to mitigate
even greater damage that could have occurred in nearby areas. It’s a role they
will likely play more and more often as the changing climate delivers
increasingly severe storms, rising sea levels and damaging storm surge.
“Conservation lands are resilient,”
Ruhren said. “Whether they’re in a river floodplain or a coastal area, natural
lands do what they’re supposed to do when the water rises – they absorb the
water and release it slowly.”
According to Ruhren, the most
valuable elements of any conserved property during flooding are wetlands, which
he describes as “nature’s kidneys. In addition to absorbing and holding large
quantities of water,” he said, “they also filter out any contaminants from the
water.”
The difference is clearly visible. Water
that surges downstream after a storm often looks like chocolate milk, he said. This
is especially true where upstream areas are heavily developed with pavement and
other structures that contribute to erosion and roadway run-off.
But when that water has a chance to
filter through wetlands and other natural areas, it’s much cleaner when it
reaches the bay.
“Sure, the trails might get flooded,
but that’s just a short-term inconvenience,” Ruhren said. “But the water recedes
as it filters down into the ground or continues downstream, and the forests are
no worse off because of it. You might have a flooded forest for a short time, but
they rebound quickly, and the plants and animals are adapted to it.”
The danger comes when wetlands are
filled, when impermeable surfaces like pavement prevent water from seeping into
the soil, and when increasing development is permitted along waterways.
“It’s like we’re filling a bathtub,”
said Audubon’s Executive Director Lawrence Taft. “The more you fill in these
places, the less water it can hold. By having areas where you just don’t
develop – by backing off development from wetlands, rivers and marshes – then
when the waters creep up, there is a place for it to go.”
Taft and Ruhren agree that
floodplains should be protected from extensive development so they can serve to
mitigate damage when the waters inevitably rise again. Many local communities
are finally getting the message.
The Rhode Island Coastal Resources
Management Council’s interactive mapping system, Storm Tools, is helping public
officials visualize flood-prone areas and places that will likely be under
water due to sea level rise in the coming decades. Coupled with a growing
awareness of the important role conservation lands play in flood mitigation,
some communities are now recognizing that the protection of open space should
be a key component of their comprehensive planning.
Taft is working with the state to
develop new rules that factor in climate mitigation values when communities
seek grants for open space and recreation lands in the future.
“We really ought to start
prioritizing those places that can be safely flooded in our open space decision
making,” he said. “Properties would be ranked higher if they’re near a river or
in a flood zone because of the climate mitigation services they provide.”
But flood mitigation isn’t the only environmental
benefit that conservation lands provide in this era of climate change.
Established ecosystems like forests and salt marshes sequester carbon from the
atmosphere while producing oxygen, and they provide critical habitat for birds
and other wildlife whose habitat is rapidly changing.
“The more conservation land you
have, the more places there will be for wildlife to shift their ranges to when
they need to,” said Ruhren. “And bigger is better, especially when the
protected lands are connected.”
He also emphasized the important
role that forests play in keeping streams and rivers cool.
“A lot of aquatic species are
vulnerable to overheating, like native brook trout and freshwater mussels,”
Ruhren said. “A good way to kill brook trout is to cut down the trees along the
stream. We don’t think of heat as a pollutant or a stressor, but it is.”
“We often talk about how our forests
are the lungs of Rhode Island because they clean the air and produce oxygen and
absorb carbon and keep us cool,” added Taft. “Putting aside land for
conservation helps us with resiliency and adaptation and mitigation of some of
the effects of climate change. Will the forests still change? Yes. Will the
species change? Yes. But at least those open areas are here to function for air
quality, flood protection, habitat and cooling.”
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