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 Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission, Christopher Newport University, Virginia Ecological Solutions Foundation, the and the United States Army Corps of Engineers.  The map below 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).  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.

T-1 and T-2 have recently been identified as the 2 most critical areas on Tangier Island and a funding campaign has begun (see more).

Proposed Shoreline Protection Projects
of the Tangier Island Partnership

Maps of Tangier Island below show overall land loss of Tangier Island since 1850 (A) and future projections of land loss (B). Source: Schulte et al. 2015 (Nature Scientific Reports).

United States Army Corps of Engineers Maps of Tangier Island – Land Area Comparison, 1850-2014 (Left), Future Shoreline Project, 2038, 2083, and 2113 (Right)

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