Tangier Island

Tangier Island

Tangier Island is a small fishing community that has engaged numerous state, federal, and non-profit stakeholders to assist in planning protective actions related to shoreline erosion and sea level rise which have both caused significant land loss on the island.  Partners include the Virginia Ecological Solutions Foundation, the Oyster Company of Virginia, the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission, Christopher Newport University, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers.  The map above is the product of a March 2017 meeting of the Tangier Island Partnership, with projects planned for the immediate future (T-1, T-2, and T-3) as well as some for further down the line (T-4A, T-4B, and T-6).  For the offshore reef component, Reeftek Sentinel Reefs will be constructed in Richmond and deployed side-by-side at each site; for the nearshore reef component, the Tangier Island citizenry will construct their own diamond-shaped reefs (shell embedded in concrete) and deploy them in an interlocking design.  The application of offshore and nearshore reef designs will increase the likelihood of effective (1) wave attenuation (reduction), (2) shoreline stabilization, and (3) oyster/crab/fish habitat enhancement.