What exactly is a ghost forest? Join Defenders Ashley, Allison, and Annie Kay on a trip to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge for National Wildlife Refuge Week to find out!
Transcript:
Hi, I’m Ashley Holmes with Defenders Of Wildlife. And today we are out on a mission to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland. We’ve heard rumor of a ghost forest out there, so we’re off to investigate, learn a little bit more, and hopefully see some cool wildlife along the way. We’ve just gotten to Blackwater Wildlife Refuge. I’ve got Annie Kay here, I’ve got Allison here, and we’re about to head to the visitor center and get some more information. You guys ready?
Yeah!
Ok Defenders’ team is reporting back from the visitor center. We met with Matt, who is a worker here at the refuge, and he helped guide us to where the nearest ghost forest is. Got our map. We’re ready to go. Are you guys ready to see a ghost forest?
We are!
Do you think it’s going to be super spooky?
It’s going to be haunted.
You know what? Climate change is scary.
Let’s go.
All right. I think we’re here. We found ourselves a ghost forest. So what’s a ghost forest? They’re essentially stands of dead trees that are unable to regrow because of sea level rise. This 27,000 acre refuge used to be full
of vibrant habitat, lush green forests of oak and loblolly pines, but as brackish waters has encroached due to our changing climate, acres of these deciduous hardwood forests have died off and decayed. This area is known as the Everglades of the North and one third of Maryland’s tidal wetlands are right here. This habitat degradation means loss of valuable ecosystem services impacting wildlife like the Bald Eagle that nest here. You can learn more about the real threats to our wildlife and wild places at Defenders.org.
Defenders Of Wildlife works on the ground, in the courts, and on Capitol Hill to protect and restore imperiled wildlife and habitats across North America.
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