Integrating Data to Preserve the Past and Conserve Historic Battlefields

By Benjamin Randall, November 2024

Storm damage can be observed here at Malvern Hill Battlefield (Richmond Battlefield National Park): a fallen tree has disrupted the landscape, exposing soil and potentially impacting sensitive Civil War and African American archeological sites.

NPS / James Nyman

The National Park Service (NPS) is endeavoring to understand the growing impacts of climate change on cultural and natural resources at northeastern parks. An Inflation Reduction Act-funded project, spearheaded by an interdisciplinary team including the Northeast Archeological Resources Program and Regional Archeologist James Nyman, seeks to create a comprehensive tool to support holistic resource management and climate adaptation across NPS parks.

Considering Environmental and Cultural Impacts

The project, which is starting at Gettysburg National Military Park, Valley Forge National Historical Park, and Richmond National Battlefield Park before extending to other northeastern parks, aims to integrate data about archeological resources, cultural landscapes, and historic structures with natural resource data and climate change models. The new tool will benefit park managers’ work, enabling them to make informed decisions about how best to preserve treasured American places for future generations.

“More or less, the goal of this is to create the basis for a tool that can help the National Park Service look at their various resource types holistically in order to better inform planning efforts, including climate change vulnerability assessments to come,” Nyman says. “All of this will help to enhance the efficiency and the effectiveness of how we ultimately propose to treat, mitigate, and get out ahead of the effects of climate change.”

Nyman’s team plans to deliver the tool by 2027. Data collection and analysis already are underway in collaboration with North Carolina State University researchers. As part of the project, the researchers are assessing the vulnerability of inland parks to climate impacts such as flooding, erosion, and vegetation shifts, which threaten both natural ecosystems and invaluable historical sites. This integrated approach ensures that parks will have a clear understanding of the environmental and cultural impacts of climate change.

As Nyman notes, the impact of climate change on inland parks is felt just as holistically as in coastal regions. Tree falls like this clearly impact the cultural landscape of the battlefield, while also impacting the archaeological integrity of the sites.

NPS / James Nyman

Refocusing Efforts

The effects of climate change are already being felt in some of the nation’s most iconic parks. In NPS sites dedicated to preserving culturally and historically significant resources and events, especially inland parks not necessarily experiencing the kinds of climate change stressors coastal parks are facing, these effects can be less understood. However, among NPS’ inland parks in the northeast, river flooding is eroding cultural landmarks, while changing vegetation patterns are altering the landscapes that hold historical significance. As Nyman explains, "it’s not just about protecting trees or monuments but understanding how climate change is altering entire ecosystems and the stories they tell."

Gettysburg National Military Park, for instance, faces potential flooding that threatens not only natural areas but also the preservation of battlefields, graves, and monuments that are central to the nation’s history. Similarly, Richmond National Battlefield Park is dealing with erosion and extreme weather that jeopardize natural and historical aspects of the site.

“The genesis of this is that the National Park Service, for several years now, has put a lot of time and resources on climate change effects in coastal regions,” Nyman says. “A lot less attention has been paid to inland parks, so we decided to start acknowledging that climate change is affecting these battlefield sites, whether they’re next to waterways or not.”

More storm damage at Richmond Battlefield National Park, highlighting the vulnerability of cultural landscapes to climate impacts—one of many challenges faced by Nyman’s team as they work to protect archeological sites across NPS parks and develop an all-encompassing tool.

NPS / James Nyman

Challenges in Data Integration

A major challenge in the project has been the integration of disparate datasets from across the NPS. Nyman emphasizes the importance of reliable data. He notes that data gaps, particularly in archeological and cultural resource information, pose obstacles to creating accurate vulnerability assessments.

“We’re engaging with our partners at North Carolina State University to help us synthesize data in a way that we can look at more holistically—we’re really trying to integrate things in a way that we can start thinking about cultural resources at large, from a landscape scale,” Nyman says.

Nyman’s overarching hope with this project is that this newly created integrated database tool will help parks save time, money, and resources treating, protecting from, or mitigating the adverse effects of climate change impacts to culturally significant areas within the parks.

Nyman’s team is working to gather and assess data from across the 84 parks in the Northeast Region, starting with Gettysburg, Richmond, and Valley Forge. This includes collaborating with community and tribal partners, who play an essential role in understanding the cultural significance of the threatened resources.

“What if we’re assessing a specific park, and there are Native American resources from periods prior to European colonization that are also part of that landscape—how do we navigate data collection and move forward?” Nyman asks. “That’s why we need to bring in the insights from community partners and tribal partners, because they all have a stake in the way that we manage these resources.”

Beyond the technical aspects of the project, Nyman highlights the emotional toll that climate change is taking on park staff. Many employees who have dedicated their lives to preserving the nation’s cultural heritage are deeply affected by the irreversible changes they are witnessing. From seeing historic structures washed away by storms to grappling with the uncertainty of what future generations will inherit, the human side of this work cannot be ignored.

"We’re not just preserving history for history’s sake. There’s a deep emotional connection here—staff are seeing the impacts firsthand, and it can be incredibly tough," says Nyman. He stresses the need to provide park teams with the tools and support necessary to face these challenges head-on.

A Holistic Approach

The Inflation Reduction Act is providing critical funding for this project, and its success will have far-reaching implications. By 2027, this wide-reaching data management tool will serve as a national model for holistic resource management, combining cultural and natural resource protection in the face of climate change. This will be crucial to ensure that national parks thrive in a changing world and that future generations of visitors are able to connect with the natural beauty and historical significance of these irreplaceable landscapes.

About the Inflation Reduction Act

The Inflation Reduction Act provides the National Park Service with an historic opportunity to address critical ecosystem resilience, restoration, and environmental planning needs. Projects funded in national parks represent broad-scale and impactful resource investments across every corner of our nation—from Alaska to Florida to Maine. 

Benjamin Randall
Ben is a current graduate student at Colorado State University, within the Journalism & Media Communication Masters of Science Program. He works as a BIL & IRA Science Communication Specialist with the National Park Service's Natural Resources Office of Communications. Apart from his work, Ben is a professional triathlete, with an affinity for adventures and exploration in the mountains.