Baltimore Area Parks Climate Action Plan

Fort McHenry NM&HS from the Patapsco River

NPS/Ervin

INTRODUCTION
As a participant in the National Park Service (NPS) Climate Friendly Parks (CFP) program, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine (FOMC), Hampton National Historic Site (HAMP), and Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail (STSP) belong to a network of parks nationwide that are putting climate friendly behavior at the forefront of park operations and resource management. As part of this program, FOMC, HAMP, and STSP have conducted greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventories, participated in a climate change and sustainability educational workshop, set climate change mitigation and GHG emission reduction goals, and integrated these actions into a park-wide Climate Action Plan (CAP).

The CAP takes a systematic approach to identifying and addressing environmental impacts at the park. It provides a framework for tracking environmental protection and sustainability priorities and details the implementation of these actions. By incorporating CFP-related actions into the park’s CAP, the three parks are taking an integrated approach to climate change response and sustainable management of park resources.

Cedar of Lebanon at Hampton in fog

NPS/Ervin

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY & SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT STATEMENT
FOMC, HAMP, and STSP are committed to protecting and preserving our natural, cultural, and archeological resources through environmental stewardship as mandated by the Organic Act and the parks’ enabling legislation. This commitment includes energy, water, solid waste, chemical use, and GHG emissions reductions (collectively called sustainability) as required by federal Executive Orders and Department of the Interior and NPS policy. As urban parks, we are also aligning with the goals of both the Baltimore City and Baltimore County Climate Action Plans.

Our staff, volunteers, and contractors will be expected to follow our environmental, pollution prevention, energy reduction, and related procedures and programs. Together we will examine and conduct operations and activities in a professionally sound manner, effectively and efficiently complying with the letter, spirit, and intent of applicable environmental regulations, standards, executive orders, and policies related to sustainability.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Prior to holding the CFP workshop, FOMC, HAMP, and STSP had already started on our sustainability journey. As part of these efforts, the three sites have taken several actions to reduce our environmental impact.

Sustainability Topic & Completed Actions

NPS

BASELINE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS PROFILE
FOMC, HAMP, and STSP conducted a greenhouse gas inventory using the Climate Leadership in Parks (CLIP) tool. Only emissions from park operations were considered in this inventory. Unlike some parks, emissions from visitor travel within the park are minimal because most of our visitors walk, run, or bike the trails.

Figure 1: FY 2023

GHG Emissions

Combined emissions between the parks in FY2023 were 592 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e). Looking only at the emissions from park operations at both FOMC and HAMP, purchased electricity and emissions associated with on-site fuel use in buildings represent the largest sources (as shown in the figure). This baseline informs the goals and targets we have set and the actions we are taking to meet those.

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GOALS & ACTIONS

As part of the CFP program, FOMC, HAMP, and STSP have developed several goals. To help meet these goals, the parks will develop annual actions and track them through the CAP. The first year of those actions are listed below. We will continue to chart our progress against the goals annually and refine our actions as part of the plan, do, check, act process.

	GHG Emissions	Sustainability	Education
Goal	Reduce GHG emissions by 25% from baseline year of 2023 by 2030	Reduce energy use by 30% from baseline year of 2023 by 2030	Address climate change and sustainability practices across multiple media by 2030
2024 Action Plan	Replace landscaping equipment with electric models at end of life Switch to alternative work schedules where feasible to reduce employee commuting Educate staff on low-emission commuting alternatives Research renewable energy purchasing options Continue to implement the new waste diversion program	Reduce HVAC use in buildings by adding building automation systems and communicating how to temporarily adjust temperature in staff areas Replace fluorescent bulbs with LED bulbs Reduce running time of ventilation fans in unoccupied spaces Communicate best practices for energy efficiency in employee housing Investigate opportunities to reduce energy use in buildings such as mothballed spaces or areas that don’t need conditioning	Continue to develop website content on sustainability and climate change Create a park specific climate change message to share with every visitor coming to the parks Conduct training for interpretation staff on integrating climate change into programs

Northern Water Snake

NPS/Wendy Alexander

ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES, & RESOURCES
The “Green Team” is an interdisciplinary group of park employees that regularly monitors and updates sustainability goals for the park. This team also works together to identify sustainability and climate change challenges, track progress toward achieving goals, and collaborate with other staff to continually improve operations. Through their leadership, the park ensures that sustainability initiatives move forward, and goals are accomplished.

EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION
By improving communication within FOMC, HAMP, and STSP, we are developing an environment that provides guidance and clarity while instilling ownership and support in accomplishing goals and initiatives. The three parks have improved communication amongst employees through all-employee meetings, park-wide training sessions and regular emails highlighting accomplishments and improvements in sustainability at the parks. With around 630,000 combined annual visitors to the parks, we are also finding innovative ways to educate visitors about climate change and the actions we’re taking to mitigate our impact.

CONCLUSION
The elements of our CAP form the foundation of the environmental protection, climate change response, and sustainability work that we will accomplish at FOMC, HAMP, and STSP. We hope that visitors will check back in with us and see how we progress as our program continues to evolve!

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CONTACTS
Climate Friendly Parks Program
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.nps.gov/climatefriendlyparks

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, Hampton National Historic Site, and Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail
Websites: nps.gov/fomc, nps.gov/hamp, nps.gov/stsp