Rising Seas & Sinking Land: How Coastal Virginia is Combating Climate Change

You’ve probably heard of Tangier— the island of 450 residents in danger of being swallowed by the Chesapeake Bay.

But just a few miles away, the tiny Town of Saxis, whose population is about half of Tangier's, is quietly facing many of the same problems.

The phragmites invasion began when it hitched a ride here with European colonists.  Today, the tall reed lines Virginia's waterways, and wetlands, taking over native habitats and clogging waterways throughout the Chesapeake Bay.

But with climate change, the pesky plant is being considered in a different way.

Scientists in Maryland have transported parts of a marsh into the next century. They are looking at the future effects of global warming and increased carbon dioxide on wetlands around the Chesapeake Bay.

At Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on the Eastern Shore, a herd of wild ponies is under attack by a deadly infection.

So far, eight female ponies have died, and the volunteer fire department that owns the herd is fighting to prevent additional deaths.

For the past three years, a mysterious microorganism has been infecting the famous wild ponies of Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

The infection is known as swamp cancer and it has killed eight female ponies so far.