Visiting Assateaque Island

[John McLaughlin]

Today Claire and I visited one of our favorite local spots, Assateaque Island. Not only did we walk around parts of the island but we were also fortunate to see some of its wild life to include a sleeping pony and a few deers.

 

[msavold]

Nice photos!
The ponies are still there? I thought they'd have removed them all by now.

 

[John McLaughlin]

@msavold I believe the ponies will always be there as they are a big attraction and brings in a lot of tourist money to the area.

 

[msavold]

Yeah, didn't mean permanently - I thought they brought them to the mainland for the winter for some reason. Did some research this morning - I had heard about the pony swim and assumed that they get them off the island for winter shelter. Turns out I had the swim thing all wrong!

 

[John McLaughlin]

@msavold

The barrier island is in two states. One in Md, Assateaque Island and the other, Chincoteaque, is in Va. They both have wild ponies but they are managed differently. At Assateaque the State only allows a mare to have one fold and actually shoots them a birth control drug to prevent more. they live naturally and for the most part will die a natural death. Whereas the herd on Chincoteaque is managed by the volunteer fire department. Each year they round up the herd and sell some to raise funds. IMO it is easier to see the ponies on Assateaque then on Chincoteaque.

 

[VaMarine]

Just an FYI, the second set of Deer pictures is a Sika Deer (spotted). They are not native to Assateague or the United States. They are currently being studied to determine their effects on the environment and there is consideration to culling them in the near future. They have no natural predator on the Eastern Shore and thus are believed to be having a negative impact on the overall ecosystem.

 

[John McLaughlin]

I was not aware of their potential impact on the environment. That said I do not believe any of the wildlife on Assateaque has any natural enemies other than man and major storm. I also hope the environmentalist do not over react to the Sika Deer on the island. Again just my opinion