Shenandoah National Park is facing new and troubling problems in the age of climate change and political unrest. Management is battling bugs, wild weather and a scramble to open certain facilities on time after the federal government shutdown.
Park Superintendent Jennifer Flynn says 2018 was a challenging year with record rainfall.
“99.56 inches at Big Meadows. To put that in context, our average year is about 52 inches, so we had about double our average rainfall last year,” she says.
Then there was a severe ice storm in November forcing officials to close the park’s south district. It was set to reopen when the federal government shut down for 35 days.
“It seems like we’re going to be able to open everything on time, but it’s been a real hustle trying to make sure that we’ve got everything in place,” Flynn recalls.
Conditions are still dicey for the endangered Shenandoah salamander.
“It’s really our canary in the coal mine," the superintendent says. "It’s only found on four peaks in the park. It’s found nowhere else, and there’s nowhere else for it to go.”
Bugs were also a serious problem in 2018, killing thousands of hemlock and ash trees.
“You know the Emerald Ash Borer ran through the park much more quickly than anyone thought it would," Flynn explains. " I mean from the time we saw the Ash Borer on the north end of the park to the time we saw it on the south end of the park was, I think, 18 months, and we thought we’d have more time.’
On a happier note, Flynn says visitors will find a new roof on the lodge at Big Meadow and a renovated dining room with large windows facing a changing natural world.
