Cooperative Living October 2021 - 11

" It's a spiritual
community. "
- MayorJames
We're in trouble, we have help. We're
happy, they celebrate with us. "
" Ooker " Eskridge
I mention Nathan's tour to her and
she smiles. The two are good friends.
" He comes and visits us every night
except Sunday, " she says. He started
this practice when he was in third
grade. " I told him whenever he's on
this side [of the island] - because
he lived
o
th
th
id
on in i
" it's more like one foot in the next 30
years. The trend was there historically,
but the rate has increased.
" Many islanders don't particularly
believe in sea-level rise, but they do
believe in shoreline erosion. We can
all agree that the land is going away, "
he adds.
According to Eskridge, erosion is
the main concern. He believes a rock
seawall can provide a fix to the erosion
problem. " We're pretty well protected
on the west side now. We were losing
25 to 30 feet a year on that side before
the seawall. Now we're focusing on
the east side, where we don't have
anything. "
While the water levels are up,
Eskridge, a third-generation waterman
in addition to his role as mayor, says
population is down - the Census
Bureau officially puts Tangier at 700
and shrinking - as young people have
left for the military or the mainland.
But work at tugboat companies has
encouraged some to stay. " We're still
dependent on the water, " he says.
LIFE ON THE ISLAND
The locals I speak to have been on
the island their whole lives. Nathan,
who declined to give his last name
and toured us around the island on
his golf cart, hasn't left Tangier, at least
not yet. He has lived here all of his
23 years, and stays because " it's a nice,
quiet life. Even at its busiest time,
it's nothing as busy as New York and
other places. "
McCready, the museum volunteer,
is 69. She was born, raised and married
in Tangier; her two boys went to
college and moved away. Her favorite
thing about living on Tangier is
" I love the community, the closeness.
co-opliving.com
crabbing by daybreak and finishing by
lunchtime. From December through
February, he oysters. He prefers soft
crabbing to the icy work of winter
oystering. He advises anyone
considering moving to Tangier to " stay
here for one winter and then decide. "
While we're talking, a young boy
with a net in one hand and a crab
in the other wordlessly walks up to
Eskridge. He hands the crab to Eskridge,
who gently takes it, lowering it down so
my dogs can gingerly sniff it. It gently
moves its claws back and forth, but
never threatens to pinch. " This is a soft
crab, " he explains. " I'll add it to my
tanks. " Then he nods toward the boy,
of time on Tangier. " The people there
are friendly. They're glad you're there. "
We got three hours on the island
before we climbed back onto the
Chesapeake Breeze, bound for Reedville.
I lean against a wall of the ship, lulled
almost to sleep by the rolling waters
and the low rumble of the engines.
Mindlessly scratching my sleepy dogs'
ears, I make plans for my next visit:
Spend more time in the museum,
stay the night, visit the beach, explore
The Uppards.
I don't know when I'll once again
set foot on Tangier, but I hope it
won't be long, and I hope the day
will be just as " ugly " as this one. 
October 2021 | Cooperative Living | 9
sshe lauhe laughs.
EEskskridge echoes McCready's
sent ment. His favorite thing about
livingliving on the island is the people and
the " close-knit community. I love
the seafood and the water. To me,
it'i s just
sentimi
the " cl
the sea
t's just a nice way of life, working
oon then the water. "
CHASING SHELLFISH
F Foror Eskridge, this " nice way of
life " entails being at the crab shanty
by 3 a.m. during the warm months,
he lived on the other side - to come
n in if it's cold and get a cup of hot
cchocolhocolate. " He took her invitation to
hheart.
eart. " He never stopped coming, "
already walking back to the water.
" Whenever he catches something, he'll
run it by. They're like 75 cents apiece. "
While the population has declined
and the land mass has decreased,
tourism has increased. It seems the
less of Tangier we have, the more of
us that want to see it. Eskridge said a
well-publicized call he received from
then-President Donald Trump in 2018
then
President Donald rump in 2018
nd
ntatives
bbing or
sitors
about the future of the island attracted
visitors and media representatives
attracted
from 40 different countries. But tourism
" can't take the place of crabbing or
But tourism
the seafood business, " he notes. " That
keeps the ball rolling. "
notes.
" That
continue to find themselves on Tangier.
As he tells me this, a ferry from Crisfield,
Eskridge hopes more visitors willwill
from
Eskridge hopes more visitors will
opposite the Chesapeake Breeze. Dozens
of people disembark, flooding the island
with voices and excitement. Hardaway
Md., arrives on the side of the dock
the
on angier
dock
eeze.
Dozens
of people disembark, flooding the island
ing the island
t. Hardaway
corroborates Eskridge's words ofrd of
welcome. During his study of The
Uppards, he spent a significant amount
Crisfield,
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Cooperative Living October 2021

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