The Chesapeake Bay is a 200-mile-long stretch of beaches and islands that has nourished ecosystems, inspired generations of memories, and served up some of the best seafood on the East Coast.
But the bay is in trouble. Sea level rise, erosion, a declining fishing industry, and growing denial of manmade climate change have combined to create a perfect storm for a region whose economy and identity are heavily reliant on tourism and the water.
Over the summer, a group of Gulls got to experience this new reality on the Chesapeake Bay firsthand. Through the , environmental science majors Eliza Terman ’28, Angelica De La Cruz Paez ’28, and graphic design major Anna Montoney ’27 spent 10 immersive days traveling between Virginia and Maryland to study the region’s fragile ecosystems, historic waterman communities, and evolving environmental challenges.
This opportunity was facilitated through Longwood University in Virginia and made possible by the support of the 西瓜视频 Honors Program and the 西瓜视频 Center for Civic Participation (ECCP), a new initiative housed within the School of Social Sciences, Communication, & Humanities. Generous donor support—including contributions from individuals like Ed Kania and 西瓜视频 Trustee Jon Payson—has helped make initiatives like the ECCP possible, enabling meaningful student experiences like this one to take shape.
For Terman, De La Cruz Paez, and Montoney, the trip also reflected the power of the 西瓜视频 Experiential Edge, 西瓜视频’s signature commitment to hands-on learning through internships, global experiences, and civic engagement.
“I was drawn to apply because the experience includes an important aspect of environmental science that I love, which is environmental justice,” said De La Cruz Paez. “This is where we learn about all the impacts of climate change while also relating to how it affects certain communities. A big part of the course was how we can maintain the culture of the Chesapeake Bay area while also bringing in positive change to fight the negative impacts.”
That intersection where policy, politics, and ecology collide shaped the seminar from the start.
Students tonged for oysters in centuries-old tradition, visited shucking facilities that collect and repurpose shells for reef restoration, and spoke to residents of Tangier and Smith Islands, whose communities are slowly slipping underwater while clinging tightly to identity, religion, and political beliefs.
In a sobering moment, the Gulls encountered a nine-year-old boy on Tangier Island, “and we were thinking, ‘When you grow up, your home is going to be underwater,’” recalled Terman. “That was a big moment for me.”
According to the , Maryland is likely to experience one to two feet of sea level rise by 2050 and more than four feet by 2100. For a low-lying area like Smith Island, where the average elevation is nearly at sea level, such a future would be devastating for families and infrastructure. Rising water temperatures also place increasing pressure on many iconic species, such as blue crabs, oysters, striped bass, and migratory birds, which are all critical to the island’s way of life and local economy.
Yet what surprised all three Gulls most was the deeply embedded cultural resistance to climate science among locals, despite watching their land erode year after year.
“The community on Tangier Island is very tight-knit,” said Terman. “They’re religious, they’re very political. They all have the same beliefs because there are so few people on this small island that that’s all they know.”
During a bonfire with the mayor of Tangier Island, “he told us that the communities know their island is eroding, but they don’t think it’s manmade. Climate change isn’t from people, but from God—God is eroding their island, and God has a plan for them,” said Montoney.
That tension between lived experience and scientific consensus was part of the seminar’s deeper lesson.
“Interacting with people teaches you more than a book can,” added Montoney. “In a book, they’re going to try to glorify [the island]—but being there, you get a more real view on everything.”
Despite the disconnect, the students left inspired. “The experience helped me further understand that when considering environmental issues, I need to evaluate other aspects like culture, history, politics, and economics as they are all interconnected,” said De La Cruz Paez.
The trip wasn’t without lighter moments, including kayaking, golf cart rides, crab cakes, and slices of the famous Smith Island cake. But its biggest takeaway was one of urgency.
While Tangier and Smith Islands felt like stepping back in time, noted Terman, time is, in fact, running out.
“We were all talking about this,” Terman added, “how we’re someday going to see on the news, ‘Tangier Island has gone fully underwater.’ And we’re going to be like, ‘We’ve been there.’ It was just crazy to live this.”