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).
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).