Secretary’s Message: Maryland is Stronger Through Planned Climate Resilience

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland – Despite the recent dry spell, the Atlantic hurricane season is underway. NOAA’s National Weather Service forecasters’ predictions for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, predict an 85 percent chance of above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin this year.

Maryland’s 3,000 miles of coastline, including lands bordering its rivers, bays, and the Atlantic coast, have always exposed us to flooding from major storms and events. We don’t even have to be directly affected, as we regularly experience flooding from storm surges and “sunny day flooding” caused by an unusually high tide breaking up the land. Climate change, sea level rise, erosion, and land subsidence are all contributing factors to this problem if we don’t act.

In Maryland, we are continually developing resilience tools, a combined effort to identify and protect our lands and communities from flooding and extreme weather events. Through the Maryland Commission on Climate Change’s Adaptation and Resilience Task Force, the state has developed the Next Generation Adaptation Plan that will guide adaptation actions over the next 10 years. You will hear more about this plan in the coming months.

Governor Wes Moore recently signed an Executive Order on Climate, which formed a Climate Sub-Cabinet to ensure coordinated action on the climate pollution reduction plan managed by our sister agency, the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Through legislation, Maryland created an Office of Resilience, tasked with developing a statewide strategy to adapt to these threats and even including plans such as cybersecurity and food security. Last year, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources hired its first-ever resilient systems officer, Jackie Specht, who coordinates the agency’s efforts to identify and protect vulnerable areas.

The Great Maryland Outdoors Act allocated $5 million to support actions such as using nature-based solutions to reduce climate impacts or relocating and elevating infrastructure. The Department of Natural Resources, which manages about 600,000 acres of public lands, is developing a strategy to implement these funds.

An important part of these efforts is the ongoing project to plant 5 million trees by 2031, particularly in urban landscapes, which will help reduce heat islands and improve water quality.

The DNR continues to monitor and work with our communities to put localized plans in place. Last week, the department announced more than $2.9 million in competitive grants for 12 climate resilience projects to help communities design and build solutions to withstand flooding and other weather events. Selected projects will reduce risks to vulnerable communities, integrate climate change data into existing plans and policies, and develop natural or nature-based solutions to help control flooding.

Recently, I also had the pleasure of helping launch the Middle Branch Resiliency Initiative, which will add wetlands, natural shorelines, boardwalks, and fishing areas to South Baltimore, an urban area long plagued by pollution and previously with little public access to waterways. In Anne Arundel County in May, I joined Arundel Rivers and community members to celebrate the completion of Franklin Point State Park’s Living Shoreline, a project that halted long-term shoreline erosion at the park and the neighboring community of Columbia Beach. Both of these projects are models of coastal resilience that the DNR aims to emulate through other efforts and partnerships across the state.

The threat of flooding and our efforts to mitigate it affect everyone in Maryland, not just those who live on the coast. Jobs, recreation, transportation, and communities across the state are at risk. By working together, we will weather the storm and keep Maryland resilient!

Josh Kurtz is Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

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