List of national lakeshores and seashores of the United States information
Welcome sign on the beach at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida
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The United States has ten protected areas known as national seashores and three known as national lakeshores, which are public lands operated by the National Park Service (NPS), an agency of the Department of the Interior. National seashores and lakeshores are coastal areas federally designated by Congress as being of natural and recreational significance as a preserved area.[1] All of the national lakeshores are on Lakes Michigan and Superior, and nine of the ten national seashores are on the Atlantic Ocean, including two on the Gulf of Mexico. Point Reyes is the only national seashore on the Pacific coast. While all of these protected sites have extensive beaches for recreation, they extend inland to include other natural resources like wetlands and marshes, forests, lakes and lagoons, and dunes. Many also feature historic lighthouses and estates.
National seashores are located in ten states and national lakeshores are in two other states. Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan each have two. The largest national seashore or lakeshore is Gulf Islands, at over 137,000 acres (550 km2); the smallest is Fire Island, at 19,579 acres (79.23 km2). The total areas protected by national seashores and lakeshores are approximately 595,000 acres (2,410 km2) and 214,000 acres (870 km2), respectively.[1] These thirteen sites had a total visitation of 21.1 million people in 2017, led by Cape Cod at over 4 million visitors.[2] The lakeshores and seashores have an emphasis on recreation, and most allow hunting and off-road vehicles, which is not permitted in national parks.[3] Five seashores and lakeshores also include land more strictly protected as wilderness areas.[1]
Shorelines, both on oceans and lakes, are particularly vulnerable to natural change. National seashores have experienced higher temperatures than in the past, with even hotter summers expected from the effects of climate change.[4] All nine seashores on the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico feature low-lying barrier islands, which could be submerged by rising sea levels, and storm surges from severe hurricanes can disintegrate the beaches.[5] Warmer temperatures at the Great Lakes may result in continued drop in water levels, with unclear effects on the shoreline.[6] The Natural Resources Defense Council states that long-term planning for all sites must address erosion and visitor access.[4]
^ abcCite error: The named reference Index was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Annual Visitation by Park Type or Region for: 2017 By Park Type". Integrated Resource Management Applications Portal. National Park Service. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
^Waterman, Jon (August 6, 2020). "Water, Sand and Plenty of Elbow Room on 8 Wild, Protected Coastlines". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
^ abSaunders, Stephen; et al. (August 2012). "Atlantic National Seashores in Peril The Threats of Climate Disruption" (PDF). National Resources Defense Council. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
^"National Seashores: On the Front Line of Climate Change". Coastal Review Online. November 7, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
^Pendleton, Elizabeth A.; et al. (2007). "Coastal Change-Potential Assessment of Sleeping Bear Dunes, Indiana Dunes, and Apostle Islands National Lakeshores to Lake-Level Changes" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
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