TANGIER, Va. — Gov. Abigail Spanberger visited Tangier Island Sept. 10, walking narrow streets lined with cozy homes to hear directly from the people who call Virginia’s last inhabited island in the Chesapeake Bay home.
Photos come from Anna Parks and the Governor’s Office — a gallery of pictures appears at the end of the story.
The visit brought together a bipartisan group of lawmakers and local leaders from Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania for a quarterly meeting of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, the interstate body that advises on restoring and protecting the nation’s largest estuary and its watershed.
“As Virginia’s last inhabited island in the Chesapeake Bay, it is imperative that we continue to support Tangier and the Virginians who call it home,” Spanberger said. “It was my pleasure to meet with Mayor Ooker Eskridge and members of the community to connect with their way of life. Thank you for having me — your hospitality was second to none.”
Mayor James “Ooker” Eskridge walked the island with Spanberger. The two stopped at the Tangier History Museum, then sat down for dinner at Lorraine’s Restaurant, where residents laid out their concerns about the island’s future. Good food there!
“I was glad to join the Chesapeake Bay Commission on Tangier — a place that truly underscores the real-world impact of the important work the Commission does to protect shared resources across the Chesapeake Bay region,” Spanberger said.
Tangier has fewer than 500 residents, and the island has been losing ground to erosion for decades. Its low elevation makes it especially vulnerable to storms and rising water, and officials in Richmond and Washington have paid closer attention to its survival in recent years.
Joining Spanberger were Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources David Bulova, Virginia Marine Resources Commissioner Joe Grist, and a bipartisan group of state and local officials: Sen. Jeremy McPike, Sen. Richard Stuart, Del. Alex Askew, Del. Betsy Carr, Del. Rob Bloxom and Del. Gretchen Bulova.
“Protecting Virginia’s environment is crucial to the wellbeing and way of life for each and every Virginian,” Secretary Bulova said. “I am glad that Governor Spanberger’s Administration continues to put tangible effort into making sure Virginians across the commonwealth — especially in vulnerable regions — can live healthy lives and be better protected from environmental disasters.”
Money was part of the conversation, too. Virginia’s 2026-2027 biennial budget, which Spanberger signed in June, includes record funding for Agricultural Best Management Practices — programs meant to protect water quality and improve soil health as the state works toward its Chesapeake Bay clean-water goals.
It’s the latest in a string of environmental moves from the Spanberger administration this year. In May, she signed a batch of bipartisan bills at Widewater State Park dealing with rising sea levels, PFAS contamination in drinking water, and changes to the Resilient Virginia Revolving Fund, which helps local governments prepare for flooding and other disasters.
Tangier Town Council member Anna Parks used the visit to make her own case for the island, posting about the evening on Facebook afterward.
“One of the best parts of my job as a Councilwoman for the Town of Tangier is being able to discuss our beautiful island and its rich culture and history with our local, state, and federal elected officials and other organizations,” Parks wrote. “As a Councilwoman, it’s my duty to work with ALL elected officials, both republican & democrat alike, because it takes us all working together in collaboration to move Tangier forward.”
She said meeting so many lawmakers in one evening was rare for a town Tangier’s size.
“I got to meet alot of other senators & delegates from all over the Commonwealth and it’s always good to talk with our own, Delegate Rob Bloxom,” Parks wrote. “Even though we all may not align politically, it’s a beautiful thing when everyone has the same common goal and that’s ensuring that there is a future for my beloved island home, Tangier Island!”
The Chesapeake Bay Commission meets four times a year, rotating among the three states as it coordinates restoration policy and works toward shared water-quality targets. That this quarter’s meeting landed on Tangier says something about where the island now sits in that conversation — no longer just a subject of the bay’s cleanup effort, but a measure of whether that effort is working at all.
By the time the officials’ boats pulled away from the dock, the island was back to itself: quiet streets, watermen heading out before dawn, and a community still waiting to see what, if anything, comes of the visit.
Gallery — click to enlarge
Tangier Island, Virginia 