The plight of Smith Island, Maryland attracted national attention this week on CBS’s 60 Minutes. Smith Island, nestled off the coast of Crisfield in Tangier Sound, is one of Maryland’s most unique cultural and ecological places. It is also at the front lines of the climate crisis, facing immense threats from sea level rise, flooding, and erosion.
Sea level rise is occurring in the Chesapeake Bay region at one of the fastest rates in the nation. Smith Island was once one of dozens of inhabited islands in the Bay, most of which have been reclaimed by natural forces. Sea level rise on these islands is harming communities, erasing histories, and even displacing people from their homes. For centuries, the people of Smith Island have made their living off the bounty of the Bay—from fishing, crabbing, boating, and more. Those centuries-old traditions are now at risk from a combination of climate change and the pressures of pollution.
During a recent visit, 60 Minutes Correspondent Jon Wertheim interviewed residents about the island’s unique culture. He also met with Hilary Harp Falk, president and CEO of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), who spent many childhood summers on the island. In her early career, Harp Falk worked as one of CBF’s island educators. Prior to rejoining CBF as president and CEO in 2022, she was an executive at the National Wildlife Federation. Today, she is a partial owner of Smith Island property and frequently visits with her own family.
Harp Falk has seen Smith Island change before her eyes from both a personal and scientific perspective. She knows firsthand the importance of this place and its people, as well as what’s at stake if the climate crisis is not urgently addressed.
“When you spend time here, there’s a saying that you get mud between your toes,” Harp Falk told Wertheim in their interview. “It means that Smith Island never leaves you, that you will always be connected to this place. For those of us that have mud between our toes, we can understand what it [would mean] to not have Smith Island anymore.”
Maryland will likely see one to two feet of sea level rise by 2050 and more than four feet by 2100, according to projections from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. For a low-lying area like Smith Island, where the average elevation is nearly at sea level, this would be devastating for families and infrastructure. Additionally, rising water temperatures place increasing pressure on many iconic Bay species like blue crabs, oysters, striped bass, and migratory birds, which are critical to Smith Island’s way of life and economy.
During the visit, Wertheim and Harp Falk visited Smith Island’s pelican rookery—the northernmost place where pelicans are known to nest on the East Coast. Nesting brown pelicans started appearing in Maryland around 25 years ago.
“These nesting pelicans have been moving north, summering in more northern places [as a result of the warming climate],” Harp Falk added.
Wertheim also interviewed Mary Ada Marshall, who made the renowned Smith Island Cake a state-honored delicacy, and other residents who call Smith Island home.
“We’re survivors,” said Marshall, who’s lived on Smith Island her whole life. “We learn how to adapt with the weather. It’s like a big family.”
While the challenges Smith Island faces are daunting, Harp Falk emphasizes hope. Many of the solutions being implemented to restore the Chesapeake Bay watershed-wide will also make coastal communities more resilient to climate change—work such as planting trees, restoring oyster reefs, building living shorelines, and practicing regenerative agriculture.
Smith Island serves as an important reminder that collaboration and national investment is urgently needed to create more resilient communities and healthier waterways around the country.
It is also a place where CBF educates the next generation of climate champions. CBF’s Smith Island Environmental Education Center has hosted over 95,000 students, teachers, and other learners since it opened roughly 46 years ago. Here, students collect scientific data, explore wetlands, observe underwater grass beds and oyster reefs, and gain a hands-on appreciation for the Chesapeake Bay.
The plight Smith Island faces from climate change is being experienced by communities around the world. While these challenges are immense, there are solutions. States leadership on climate change and environmental issues will be critical during the current federal transition. CBF urges leaders to make strong investments in Smith Island’s natural resources and infrastructure to better protect those on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
Watch the 60 Minutes episode on Smith Island here.
