La Leche Cemetery

Retreating is not an act of surrender, but simply accepting the enviable rising of sea level, prioritizing the assets and planning accordingly. Though is is unknown if the sea levels are increasing at a slow rate or rapidly, if is sure that they are increasing either way. Considering the cultural, historical and agricultural significance of the La Leche cemetery, I believe the best course of action is to create a plan of documentation of future generations to appreciate. First, extensive documentation of the archeological significant artifacts and features, because these are generally undergrounds and will decay before all else. Next, documentation aspects such as the layout, people buried on site and historically noteworthy materials should

Augustine can not afford to lose and efforts must be made to preserve its memory through documentation. The La Leche cemetery holds holds historic and cultural significance through the archeology and importance in burials on site. Being the first integrated cemetery, burial site for the influential sisters of St Joshes’ and home to a diverse array archeological figures and artifacts, gives prominent evidence of the importance of the La Leche cemetery and why its memory should be preserved. The cemetery, like many other sites in the United States and through out the world, is extremely vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise now and in the years to come. The flooding, increase in storm surge, greater salinity of water and warmer temperature of the ocean all negatively effect the make up of the cemetery including everything from the historic coquina stone in the bases of the headstones, to the surfacing of caskets as observed in cities like New Orleans and Springfield South Carolina. The ways of minimizing the damage done to the cemetery are adapting to the effect by attempting to slowdown the rate at which the seas are rising through living shorelines like geotextile bags and oyster shoreline. The living shorelines are short-term like most mechanisms against sea level rise, but are more eco- friendly then the alternative attempt at defense mechanisms. Examples of defenses against sea level rise are armored shorelines as presented at many St. Augustine sites currently as large amounts of concrete or rocks. The most long-term and effective use of energy is retreating, accepting the unavoidable rise of sea level and actively preserving assets accordingly. Ultimately, global warming and sea level rise are inevitable. The scientific evidence undoubtingly shows this to be true, thus no matter the prediction of