Sinking Places in Time: Are They Worth Saving?
We have all heard the dire warnings from scientists that climate change will result in receding coastlines and that the places, that once stood on those coastlines, will fall to the ocean. So, are they worth the effort to try and save them?
I have been fortunate to visit two places in the Chesapeake Bay that are being threatened by the long-term consequences of climate change. I ventured to Smith Island, Maryland in the summer of 2020 expecting to find a quaint town with unique cultural characteristics. Instead, I was met by flooded streets, abandoned houses, and a disappearing population. I did get to try a piece of the well-loved Smith Island Cakes, baked with love by the Smith Island widows, and it certainly lives up to its expectations. Despite the cake, the trip felt a little depressing. I couldn’t help but think about the memories left behind in the old sinking houses and on the abandoned docks stacked with decayed crab pots. The livelihoods of past residents have been forgotten in time as younger generations have left the island and never turned back leaving just under 200 residents mostly of an older demographic.
Smith Island was first charted by Captain John Smith in 1608, though its Native American history pre-dates that by thousands of years. The states of Maryland and Virginia fought over the island until 1873, when the island was finally claimed as part of Maryland. This dispute played a large role in “The Oyster Wars of the Chesapeake.” When it was first settled, the island was mainly inhabited by farmers who focused on cultivating the land. It was not until the post-Civil War era, did the farming activities turn its focus on water. You can learn more about Smith Island’s history and culture by visiting the Smith Island Cultural Center in Ewell. Their website can be found here.
Over time, Smith Island has faced years of storms and erosion that has slowly withered away parts of its coastline. In 2016, county officials invested $4.5 million dollars from a federal grant into two projects designed to slow down erosion along one of Smith Island’s most beaten points and dredge important channels that are vital for the fishermen and residents. You can read more about these projects here.
I headed to the Virginia side of the Eastern Shore next in April of 2021, just in time to celebrate Earth Day. While this trip was for a work project, I really enjoyed indulging in some of the most amazing food and charming hospitality of Onancock. The vibrancy is undeniable and the people are some of the friendliest I have gotten the pleasure to meet. But, just like Smith Island, all of the Eastern Shore is subject to a receding coastline. This is even more evident as you compare past studies and placements of the barrier islands over time, as they have migrated west to avoid rising sea levels. You can learn more about the migration of these barrier islands here.
Even more stunning than the landscape is the biological diversity the Eastern Shore hosts as an integral part of the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay is home to over 3,600 species including plant and wildlife. Each species is dependent on a part of the bay’s unique eco-system. Oysters have become a recent subject of environmental efforts to clean up the Bay from the years and years of pollution from nutrient run-off. Oysters act as a natural filter to clean water but their populations have greatly declined over time leaving the Bay even more susceptible to pollution. The Nature Conservancy has been hard at work rebuilding oyster colonies to help naturally filter out more recent pollution, while other environmental organizations are hard at work with multiple efforts to improve the quality of The Chesapeake Bay.
These places are inevitably sinking in time but are they worth the efforts and resources to try and save them for as long as we can? Absolutely. We are potentially losing historical context for early origins of Native American history, English settlement, and cultural resilience. We are also losing essential eco-systems that support many species that not only provide food and local economic support but, are also a part of what makes these places so beautiful. We should feel obligated to do all we can to support the people and wildlife of these places. They matter too, even if they are sinking slowly. And, if nothing else, do it for the cake.
Pictures Taken and Owned by Tori Kennedy.
Some statistics were obtained from these resources:
The National Wildlife Federation
