Disappearing Islands Dialogue
Author: Erica Baugh, Upstream Alliance
On February 11, 2018, about 165 people came to the Avalon Theatre, in Easton, Md., to learn about the plight of two disappearing Chesapeake Bay islands—Smith Island in Maryland, and Tangier Island in Virginia.
On culture
There is one thing nobody doubts: these islands are rich in culture and history. Pastor Everett Landon, of Smith Island, told the gathering, “People go down to Williamsburg and they pay a lot of money to watch people dress up in historical costumes to reenact history . . . but Smith Island is living history. It is here and now.” The islands have their own way of life, and it’s not an easy one. Captain Lonnie Moore, of Tangier, said the economics of working on the water is simple. “When your boat stays in [the harbor] there’s no income. It’s not like you’re getting a paycheck every Friday. You have to go out and make the money to feed the family, to pay your bills.”
On sea level rise
On the islands, there is much discussion these days about how nature is changing the landscape. Erosion is in the front of islanders’ minds because they see its effects in their back yards.
Mayor James “Ooker” Eskridge, of Tangier Island, said his constituents “can see the effects of erosion almost daily.” Pastor Landon likened erosion to a wound that is “bleeding profusely.” William C. Boicourt, an oceanographer at professor emeritus at the University of Maryland’s Horn Point Laboratory, said that sea level rise is “lurking in the background” behind the problem. “We don’t see it,” he said, but that doesn’t mean it’s not accelerating the rate of erosion.
On disappearing islands
Tom Horton, a journalist and book author who’s been chronicling the Chesapeake Bay for nearly 50 years, made a case for helping the islands.
“There’s a tendency—and I’ve been guilty of this—to say, ‘In a century these islands are toast. Then, people should get out of there.’ But, I’ve had to rethink that in the last couple of years. Humans don’t live by the century. We live by the minute, the hour, the week, the day, the year, maybe a decade at most…These islands are unique cultures, they are marvelous educational assets.”
The islanders want help saving what is left.
Mayor Eskridge said: “We would like to protect Tangier to save it. I’m not just talking about the land. I’m talking about the people, our way of life, our culture—the total package.”
Many of the islands’ current residents grew up on them and want to stay. Tears welled up in the eyes of Mary Ada Marshall, a resident of Smith Island, when she told the group she’d been married 52 years and couldn’t imagine picking up and leaving. “Ask yourself this question—could you walk out of your door, turn the key, and not come back?”
What can be done?
Don Baugh, president of Upstream Alliance, said the islands’ plight “is a call to action” that needs to start with everyone finding ways to reduce their carbon footprint in order to lessen the effects of climate change.
Practically speaking, there may be things that can be done to buy time for Smith and Tangier. Boicourt said that a sea wall would help stanch erosion; Horton estimated it would cost $25 to $30 million. But is government willing to make the investment?
Tangier got more than 15 minutes of fame last year when President Donald Trump called Mayor Eskridge to chat about the island’s problems, including erosion and sea level rise. After that, “we had media there from 21 different countries,” the mayor said.
Will the publicity translate into millions of dollars? Only time will tell.
View a video of the dialogue from the Avalon Theatre
Thanks to the Avalon Theatre and our co-hosts, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and Salisbury University’s Environmental Studies Department.
