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More than $200 million in spending and 4,000 Virginia jobs supported by the six million visitors each year to Jamestown, Chincoteague and Shenandoah National Park are at risk if climate change remains on its current path, according to a major new report issued today by the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization (RMCO) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Among the possible changes: a loss of Chincoteague’s beach, the complete flooding by higher tidal waters of historic Jamestown Island – site of the continent’s original English settlement in 1607 – and the decline of the brilliant fall colors of Shenandoah National Park.

The report details the wide range of impacts from higher temperatures, rising water levels and stronger hurricanes on Jamestown, which is a part of Colonial National Historical Park (NHP), Shenandoah National Park, and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).

The RMCO/NRDC report and audio recording of the news event will be available online.

Jamestown is where America’s colonial history began, with the first permanent European settlement in what became the original colonies and then the United States. It also is where representative democracy in America began. Chincoteague NWR on the southern end of Assateague Island on Virginia’s Atlantic coast has more than 14,000 acres of beach, forest, and marsh habitats that are home to a wide variety of migratory birds, plants, and other animals. Located just 70 miles from Washington, D.C., Shenandoah NP is a crown jewel of the United States’ national park system.

Theo Spencer, senior advocate, Climate Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, said: “Climate change poses the greatest risk our National Parks have ever faced. The natural and cultural resources of Virginia’s special places are directly linked to hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity and thousands of jobs. Unfortunately, Jamestown, Shenandoah and Chincoteague face greater threats than ever before as a result of climate change, and on a scale that will substantially undercut people’s interest in visiting those historic and natural sites. By acting now to reduce the pollution that causes climate change we will stimulate our economy and create millions of new jobs while continuing America’s long-standing position of technological leadership.”

Stephen Saunders, president, Rocky Mountain Climate Organization, said: “The extent to which these special places could be harmed illustrates why human-caused climate disruption is considered the greatest threat ever to our national parks and wildlife refuges. These three special places deserve particular attention. They show how much Virginia has at stake, from its coasts to its mountains and from its natural and cultural resources to its economy, as people alter the climate. And these three special places are extraordinarily important not just to Virginians but also to Americans everywhere.”