University of Maryland landscape architecture students developed virtual reality projects to illustrate sea-level rise and adaptive solutions at Point Lookout State Park in St. Mary’s County, allowing viewers to experience projected environmental changes over decades.
The initiative stemmed from a collaboration between the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the university’s Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability program, known as PALS. Department staff approached PALS seeking ways to highlight climate effects across the state. Professor Chris Ellis led the class in selecting Point Lookout as the focus site due to its vulnerability. Located at the southern tip of St. Mary’s County where the Potomac River meets the Chesapeake Bay, the park spans a peninsula prone to erosion and flooding.
In the VR experiences, users stand on a virtual walkway surrounded by current park scenery, including trees, marshes, roads, and coastline under a blue sky. A tolling bell signals each decade, showing marsh expansion and water encroachment until it reaches the viewer’s feet. Bird calls shift to wave sounds, emphasizing transformation. “When you see the water come under you, and hear the bird sounds turn to wave sounds, I think it helps people understand [climate change] in a different way,” said Nico Drummond, a landscape architecture major on one team.
Students divided into groups, each examining a park section and forecasting changes from sea-level rise. Projections indicate 1.5 to 2.5 feet of rise at the park within 25 to 50 years. Recent estimates from the Maryland Commission on Climate Change suggest planning for 1.59 feet by 2050 in similar coastal areas. Ellis noted the shift from viewing changes as problems to opportunities: “We started thinking, ‘What are the problems associated with that? And I’ll tell you, as we went through the semester, it was more like ‘What are the opportunities that we can take advantage of? Because as the change happens, there are actually some really interesting things that may come from that.'”
Proposed adaptations include raised walkways over migrating marshes, kayak trails near living shorelines and floating wetlands, adjustable helical piers for boardwalks, and oyster reefs in Lake Conoy as breakwaters. Educational panels explain these features, maintaining public access amid shifts.
Ranger Jonas Williams, director of planning for the Maryland Park Service, praised the effort: “We were excited to host this virtual reality visioning project at Point Lookout. The students did a phenomenal job illustrating how the park may change in the future, giving park visitors a chance to see what climate change could mean for this unique and vital landscape. Projects and partnerships like this help the Park Service engage the public in understanding risks and opportunities, while guiding planning and adaptation efforts not only at Point Lookout State Park but across other at-risk parks in the years ahead.”
The projects, completed during the spring semester, are available on Meta Quest TV for virtual reality viewing. Students visited the park, enhancing their designs with firsthand observations. Eashana Subramanian, a landscape architecture major minoring in sustainability studies, recalled childhood visits: “It was really meaningful that I got to work on this place that I’ve visited too.”
Point Lookout State Park covers a historically rich area explored by Captain John Smith in 1612 and claimed as a manor by Maryland’s first governor, Leonard Calvert, in 1634. It endured British raids during the Revolution and War of 1812, serving as a lookout for fleet movements. In 1830, a federal lighthouse was built, now the oldest standing integral lighthouse in the U.S., with living quarters integrated into the tower. During the Civil War, it housed Hammond Hospital for Union soldiers and a prison camp holding up to 50,000 Confederates from 1863 to 1865, with nearly 4,000 deaths. African-American U.S. Colored Troops guarded prisoners, and remnants include earthworks, recreated barracks, and a federal memorial on nearby Route 5.
Today, the park offers 710-foot fishing pier, beaches, picnic areas, 90 campsites, boat launches, and water trails. Annual events feature Civil War and War of 1812 reenactments. However, erosion has submerged much of the former prison site under bay waters, highlighting ongoing environmental pressures. Maryland’s 3,100 miles of tidal shoreline make it highly vulnerable, with low-lying lands facing accelerated rise due to subsidence and warming.
The PALS program, a campus-wide initiative, pairs University of Maryland faculty and students with local governments for real-world sustainability projects at low cost. It provides hands-on learning while addressing community needs, such as urban planning and environmental resilience. Past efforts include community impact projects in Frederick and Annapolis, focusing on problem-solving in areas like flood scenarios and design solutions.
State efforts complement student visions. In 2020, a $53,035 grant funded planning for an Enhanced Nutrient Removal upgrade to the park’s wastewater treatment plant, serving 150 campsites and reducing discharges to the Potomac River. The upgrade follows Coast Smart Program guidelines for climate resiliency, countering sea-level threats.
Broader Chesapeake Bay projections warn of 2 to 4 feet rise by 2100, depending on emissions, affecting parks statewide. Point Lookout’s adaptations could model responses for similar sites, blending protection with recreation enhancements.
