Assateague Island
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Assateague Island is a Template:Convert long barrier island located off the eastern coast of the Delmarva Peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean.<ref>Kenney, Nathaniel T. "Watermen's Island Home", National Geographic, Index (January–June 1980), vol 157 (June 1980): 812.</ref> The northern two-thirds of the island are in Maryland, and the southern third is in Virginia. The entire island is designated as Assateague Island National Seashore, though management is shared by three entities.
The Maryland section contains the majority of Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague State Park. The Virginia section contains Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and a one-mile stretch of land containing the lifeguarded recreational beach and interpretive facilities managed by the National Park Service (NPS).<ref>Turner, John and Jay Kirkpatrick. Field Guide to the Assateague Ponies. Toledo, Ohio 1988.</ref> It is best known for its herds of feral horses, pristine beaches, and the Assateague Lighthouse. The island also contains numerous marshes, bays, and coves, including Toms Cove.<ref>GMCO Maps & Charts. GMCO's Fishing & Recreation Map of Chincoteague-Assateague, Virginia, 2003.</ref> Bridge access for cars is possible from both Maryland and Virginia, though no road runs the full north/south length of the island.
HistoryEdit
Like all barrier islands, Assateague has changed in form over the years.<ref name=NPS/> The structure of barrier islands is determined by movement of sand in the littoral zone, the portion of the ocean closest to the seaward side of the island.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The island was once connected to the southern end of Fenwick Island. However, the 1933 Chesapeake–Potomac hurricane created an inlet south of Ocean City, Maryland.<ref name=soundwaves>Williams, Jeff. "USGS Research Contributes to Assateague Island Restoration—Mitigating 70 Years of Coastal Erosion Due to Ocean City Inlet Jetties". Sound Waves November, 2002. Accessed online December 3, 2010.</ref> This inlet separated the two landforms. Normally, it would have silted back due to the littoral drift that ran from north to south.<ref name=NPS/> However, after the storm, between 1933 and 1935, a permanent system of artificial jetties was built to preserve the inlet as a navigation channel.<ref>National Parks Conservation Association. State of the Parks: Assateague Island National Seashore, p. 19. August 2007. Accessed online December 3, 2010. Template:Webarchive</ref> As a result, the island has drifted considerably westward, and the two landmasses are now over Template:Convert apart.<ref name=soundwaves/> While this process has benefitted Ocean City, creating wider beaches and better fishing access,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> it caused erosion problems on Assateague.<ref name=soundwaves/>
Between 1933 and the early 1960s, U.S. federal government interest in creating a national seashore on the island alternated with periodic pushes for development. In 1950, a 15-mile section of the Maryland side of Assateague was plotted for development, and a paved road, Baltimore Boulevard, was constructed to traverse the new development. The Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 destroyed or covered most of Baltimore Boulevard, and many of the structures on the island were destroyed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Although some private landowners on the island supported re-development, by this time the state of Maryland generally supported a national seashore and legislation was introduced in the United States Congress. After Congressional efforts did not produce final legislation in 1964, new legislation in 1965 was successful and Assateague Island National Seashore was formed.<ref name=NPS>Mackintosh, Barry. "Assateague Island administrative history" History Division, National Park Service. 1982. Accessed December 3, 2010 Template:Webarchive</ref>
Parks and refugeEdit
The entirety of Assateague Island is owned and operated by three different agencies: the NPS, Maryland State Parks, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service. All of the land on the island north of the Maryland-Virginia state line is the Assateague Island National Seashore, with the exception of the smaller Assateague State Park. The national seashore was established in 1965 to preserve the barrier island and surrounding waters, and provide recreational opportunities.
All of the island south of the state border in Virginia is the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, with the exception of a one-mile stretch of land including the recreational beach and interpretive facilities managed by the NPS.<ref name="nps-basic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Refuge was established in 1943 to provide habitat for migratory birds, primarily snow geese.<ref name="fws-about">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The U.S. Geological Survey has initiated studies aimed at mitigating the potential sea-level rise on this barrier island complex.<ref>Masterson, John P. Development of a Numerical Model to Simulate Groundwater Flow in the Shallow Aquifer System of Assateague Island, Maryland and Virginia. Reston, Va.: United States Geological Survey, 2013.</ref>
Human use of the islandEdit
The National Park Service allows off-road vehicles with permits in certain areas.<ref name="nps-osv">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Car camping sites are available in both the National Seashore and Assateague State Park by reservation.<ref name="nps-camping">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="mddnr-camping">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Backcountry sites are also available in the National Seashore.<ref name="nps-backcountry">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> There is no camping available in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Pets are prohibited in all areas except certain parts of the National Seashore and parts of the state park. Kayak touring is a popular way to see the wildlife, especially on the calmer bay side. Summer months are known for heavy mosquito and biting Greenhead fly populations, particularly on the bay side.<ref name="nps-safety">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Assateague State Park comprises almost Template:Convert and lies in Maryland within the National Seashore. The state park is the most developed area on the island with 350 campsites. Most of the water around the island is within the boundaries of the national seashore. The island has a land area of Template:Convert and has no resident population in either Maryland or Virginia, though a few retained property rights until 2006. These were mainly hunting camps.
FaunaEdit
Template:See also Large populations of birds inhabit the island, including American oystercatcher, great blue heron, and snowy egret. There are over 320 species that are known to inhabit the island during some portion of the year. These include gulls, terns, and other shorebirds along with raptors, waterbirds, and waterfowl. The piping plover is a threatened species that nests on Assateague.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="nps-birds">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The feral horse population of Assateague Island is alternately known as the Assateague horse in Maryland and the Chincoteague Pony in Virginia. This distinction, made both on per-breed and per-individual basis, is sometimes a matter of disagreement. The traditional definition of a horse or a pony is based on whether the animal in question falls over or under Template:Hands. The equines on the island tend to be under 14.2, but have a horse phenotype. It is argued that their relatively small size is primarily due to environmental, rather than genetic conditions. The National Park Service provides information about these animals through brochures and the internet.<ref name="nps-horses">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The Maryland and Virginia horses are kept apart by fencing at the border between the two states. Though commonly called "wild," these horses had domesticated ancestors. Legend states their ancestors were survivors of a Spanish galleon that shipwrecked along the coast, and DNA evidence indicates the modern population includes the closest living descendants of Spanish horses brought to the Americas in the early 1500s.<ref>Nicolas Delsol et al. Analysis of the earliest complete mtDNA genome of a Caribbean colonial horse (Equus caballus) from 16th-century Haiti. PLOS ONE, 2022; 17 (7): e0270600 {{#invoke:doi|main}}</ref> Previously, it was suggested the horses originated from late 17th century mainland owners who brought their horses to the barrier islands to avoid fencing laws and taxation.<ref name="nps-horses"/> When excess numbers are removed from the island and they are placed into human ownership, they adapt quickly to domestication. Made famous by Marguerite Henry in her children's book Misty of Chincoteague, the animals are popular tourist attractions and subjects for photography.
The Maryland horses are owned and managed by the NPS, who have carefully followed the population over generations. In Virginia, the Chincoteague ponies are owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. Once a year in July, the local "salt water cowboys" round them up and sort a number of animals to be removed from the island, which are put up for auction on Pony Penning Day.<ref name="nps-horses"/><ref name="fws-about"/>
To keep their numbers under control on the Maryland side, a federal contraceptive program has been in place since 1994.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In Virginia, the Pony Penning Days auction keeps the horse population at levels required by agreement with the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.
ClimateEdit
Assateague Island has a humid subtropical climate and is classified in hardiness Zone 8a.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Weather box
GalleryEdit
- Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge 1.jpg
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge with lighthouse in distance
- Assateague Island ASIS2576.jpg
Assateague Island waterways
- Assateague Island horses August 2009 4.jpg
Humans and horses on the island.
- Egrets-assateague.jpg
Egrets in Assateague's marshes
- Assateague Island ASIS4010.jpg
Deer on Assateague
- Chincoteague ponies by Bonnie Gruenberg5.jpg
Saltwater cowboys round up ponies on Assateague and herd them down the beach at sunrise.
- Chincoteague Pony swim by Bonnie Gruenberg.jpg
Swimming from Assateague for Pony Penning Day on Chincoteague
- Snow on the Dunes.jpg
Winter 2022 on Assateague Island
- Winter scene on Assateague Island.jpg
Snow blankets Assateague Island in January 2022
- Winter landscape on Assateague.jpg
A winter scene on Assateague Island in January 2022
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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- Assateague Island National Seashore
- Assateague State Park
- Assateague photos
- Philip E. Hartman papers at the University of Maryland library contain letters, reports, and publications, which document environmental activities relating to Assateague Island.