An Island Out of Time: A Guided Walking Tour of Smith Island
Ferry departs at 9:00 a.m. from Crisfield, Maryland
Cost: $180 per person
Located nine miles off of Crisfield in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay, Smith Island's marshy archipelago has preserved an extraordinary natural environment and island culture. Smith Island is the hub of the country’s soft shell industry and a fishing haven for herons, egrets, ibis, osprey and pelicans. Once home to 800 residents, Smith Island now has 240 year round residents, spread between the villages of Ewell, Rhodes Point and Tylerton.
Our tour includes visiting residents Mary Ada and Dwight Marshall. Mary Ada will prepare her infamous Smith Island Cake, the State Dessert of Maryland.
Tom Horton is a Professor of Practice in Environmental Studies at Salisbury University. His areas of expertise include Chesapeake Bay politics, cultures, science, nature writing, journalism and experiential education.
Horton is one of the most respected nature writers in the US, winner of the John Burroughs Award for the best book of nature writing, as well as the David Brower award from the Sierra Club, and other awards from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Audubon Society. He is the author of eight books about the Chesapeake Bay and covered the environment for the Baltimore Sun for 35 years. His book, An Island Out of Time, is a memoir of the three years Tom lived on Smith Island with his family.
In addition to teaching courses at SU, Horton is a freelance nature writer, working for National Geographic, Rolling Stone, the New York Times Magazine, Chesapeake Bay Magazine and others. He co-teaches at the University a summer kayaking- camping course, "Exploring Delmarva: A Water's-Eye View."