Watch the AJC short documentary "Can Oysters Save a Sinking Island?"

Sapelo Island’s Hogg Hummock (also known as Hog Hammock) is one of the last remaining Gullah Geechee island communities, but it's fighting for survival on multiple fronts. Rising sea levels threaten to flood the land, while development pressures risk changing the community's character and pushing out residents who have called it home for generations. Climate change poses an urgent threat, with sea levels rising at some of the fastest rates in the U.S. What was once rare flooding now regularly submerges low-lying parts of the island, even on sunny days. Sapelo Island sits on the front lines of this crisis, where communities must adapt quickly or risk losing irreplaceable land, culture and history. A federally funded partnership offers the community a bit of hope. In partnership with Sapelo residents like Maurice Bailey, researchers from the University of Georgia are testing nature-based solutions — like restoring oyster reefs. The hope is that oyster reefs can shield shorelines from storm surge and erosion. The AJC visited Sapelo Island to see the efforts being made to save the community firsthand. Watch the full short documentary on AJC.com or the AJC YouTube page. Credits: AJC | Save Our Legacy Ourself (SOLO) / YT