Changes in the Environment

Birds are one of the species that are heavily impacted by climate change. The migration patterns of birds can change every year depending on temperatures.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Changes in Wildlife

The species that call the Star-Spangled Banner Trail home will experience shifts in their distribution and behavior as the climate changes, this is mostly due to the associated changes in temperature and precipitation. As conditions change, plants and animals are moving to stay comfortable, over 200 bird species have been observed shifting their Winter ranges, many cultural important species such as the Baltimore Oriole are becoming rarer in Maryland and may eventually be gone from the region entirely. (Source1) (Source 2) (Source 3)

 

Beds of submerged aquatic vegetation improve water quality, provide food and habitat for animals on the Susquehanna Flats near Havre de Grace, MD.

Courtesy Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program

Much of the significant history of the Star-Spangled Banner Trail has occurred on the water, many culturally and historically important species are threatened by climate change. If sea levels rise faster than marshes can grow, these crucial ecosystems which support young fish populations and keep waters clean can disappear, causing harm to the species which rely on them. Similarly, the beds of underwater grasses that support culturally important species like blue crabs and migratory waterfowl are suffering from increased stress due to rising water temperatures, which have warmed by 2°F in the Chesapeake since 1960.

 

What is an Invasive Species and why are they a problem?

An invasive species is an introduced, nonnative organism (disease, parasite, plant, or animal) that begins to spread or expand its range from the site of its original introduction and that has the potential to cause harm to the environment, the economy, or to human health.A few well-known examples include the unintentional introduction of the West Nile virus, chestnut blight, the South American fire ant, zebra mussels, Burmese pythons, and sea lamprey. These are in addition to the intentional introductions of salt cedar (Tamarisk), kudzu vine, house sparrows, starlings, and nutria.Harmful, non-native species can be found in all ecosystems across the United States. These species can cause costly economic and ecological damage each year including crop decimation, clogging of water facilities and waterways, wildlife and human disease transmission, threats to fisheries, increased fire vulnerability, and adverse effects for ranchers and farmers. (Source)

 

New invasive tick species are introduced everyday, and can be very hard to spot in the natural environment.

CDC

Climate change is also expanding the range of over 100 invasive species into the Star-Spangled Banner Trail region, as well as expanding the range of dangerous disease-carrying insects. The increase in temperature has allowed 3 new tick species to expand their range into Maryland, although these species do not carry the infamous Lyme disease, they do carry other illnesses. Additionally, the warmer average temperatures have increased Lyme transmission by lengthening “tick season” by a few weeks on either end of summer. (Source)