Assateague Island wild ponies… (VA)

We were told the swollen bellies are from the high-salt diet.

These are barrier islands, thin strips of land running north and south just off the mainland. Man has built a few high points such as light houses and visitor centers, but the natural land looks as most five feet high. We understand these to be the only mostly-undeveloped barrier islands on the coast.

As I write this we are seated under our awning celebrating evening happy-hour while a thunder shower passes through our campground. To a Californian this is a little unexpected; a few hours ago we and a few thousand others were sunning ourselves on the Assateague Island National Park beach, not a cloud in the sky, less than a mile east of our camp at Tom’s Cove.

-The island is part of a wildlife refuge most famous for its wild ponies, a few of which are driven through water to the mainland each year and auctioned as a fund raiser for the Chincoteague fire department.

But as you might imagine from the beach comment, all is not as it seemed in you National Geographic article on Assateague Island. This is a very managed wildlife refuge, and very visited. The ponies, thought to be descendants of animals driven to the island hundreds of years ago to avoid taxation (one of many thoughts), are branded, vaccinated, de-wormed, and checked by a veterinarian yearly. Not all ponies destined for auction are cowboy-driven to Chincoteague; the non-swimmers get a truck ride on the causeway. (A cattle guard discourages escapees during the rest of the year.) The refuge is also home to some Asian elk left over from a Boy Scout fundraiser decades ago; as exotics, certain numbers can be culled during hunting season. Also, there are many squirrel boxes throughout the refuge, built to promote the population of a type of squirrel that is endangered off the island. There are sculpted rectangular ponds to catch water for wildlife. The naturalists installed water pumps to flood or drain areas to accommodate their interpretation of the needs of various species of migratory birds. And, as can happen anywhere, a former Virginia governor’s first lady favored bluebirds, so there are countless bluebird boxes, although apparently this is not a native spot for the bluebird, and none has been spotted.

Much of this was gleamed from a bus tour of the refuge late this afternoon, during which we saw wild ponies, very large flies, the endangered squirrels, turkeys, other birds, no bluebirds, some Asian elk, and some white tailed deer.

In the morning we set out to climb the 192 steps of the Assateague Island light house (built in the mid-1800s) but were driven back by long lines and mosquitoes.

For dinner we chose Mr. Baldy’s, a family restaurant with good fix’ums. The cornbread was good but I’m getting tired of your classic dinner rolls. On the other hand, we had our first green salads of the caravan. For $7 I had a flavorful pair of grilled porkchops. Marcia had a big piece of meatloaf.