CBF, Partners Offer Solutions for Tangier as Potential Model of Coastal Adaptation

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) joined federal, state, and local officials on Tangier Island this week as partners move forward on an ambitious coordinated response to help preserve and protect one of the country’s most threatened island communities.

Work on Tangier, which has lost two-thirds of its land mass since 1850, can serve as a model for how the nation can leverage nature-based solutions and inform the response of coastal communities across the country facing erosion and sea level rise.

“Time is running out for Tangier Island,” said CBF President and CEO Hilary Harp Falk. “The good news is that we have the partnerships, the initial investments, and the momentum needed to restore its shorelines, rebuild its habitat, and protect its community for the next generation.”

With CBF’s environmental education center near Tangier on Port Isobel Island, the model could also help educate the next generation about restoration efforts to protect the Bay and its unique communities as they are challenged by sea level rise, erosion, and stronger storms.

Officials traveled by boat to tour areas around Tangier that are rapidly receding, as well as the area around Port Isobel. Attendees witnessed firsthand the urgency of Tangier’s situation and opportunities to test new solutions that could inform work throughout the region.

At the meeting on the island, partners discussed shoreline and oyster restoration projects spearheaded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the potential to use dredged material to help restore some of the land Tangier has lost to the Bay over the years, as well as other options for protection such as sea walls. Together, these kinds of approaches could create a model for preserving other shoreline communities.

At the town’s request, CBF is administering a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) grant intended to help preserve Tangier by developing a shoreline adaptation plan, slated for completion this year. This is a comprehensive roadmap to protecting the island from accelerating coastal erosion, intense storms, and long-term sea-level rise. The plan is an essential first step for the island to earn state and federal grants for resiliency projects. The town is seeking funding to support the final planning and permitting phase for a combined restoration and protection project.

An existing partnership between CBF and Old Dominion University’s Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience is supporting Tangier in pursuing a broad-based adaptation plan.

Expanding the coalition to include other key stakeholders like the Army Corps, Accomack County, and federal and state officials has been invaluable in acting swiftly – and is the kind of multi-layered partnership model that will be needed to protect similarly situated coastal communities across the U.S.

“We’re committed to saving our people and way of life here,” said longtime Tangier Mayor James “Ooker” Eskridge. “Whatever works to save Tangier for future generations, I’m for.”

Other next steps for the future of Tangier could include:

• Securing funds to support finalizing engineering design and permitting for projects identified through the shoreline adaptation plan;
• Beginning implementation of projects while key community infrastructure on Tangier can still be saved; and,
• Sharing all project materials with other local, state, and federal government agencies.

As Tangier goes, so, too, could coastal communities across the U.S. threatened by erosion and sea level rise – upping the stakes for its success.

“Tangier isn’t just a Chesapeake Bay story,” Falk said. “It’s a preview of challenges facing coastal communities around the globe. Success here will not only help ensure Tangier’s culture and way of life can endure, but also provide a model of what’s possible when communities, governments, and conservation partners work hand in hand.”