Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge | |
---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
![]() Assateague Channel with Assateague Light in the distance | |
Map of the United States | |
Location | Accomack County, Virginia / Worcester County, Maryland |
Nearest city | Chincoteague, Virginia |
Coordinates | 37°57′15″N 75°19′00″W / 37.95417°N 75.31667°W |
Area | 14,000 acres (57 km2)[1] |
Established | 1943 |
Governing body | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service[1] |
Website | Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge |
The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is a 14,000-acre (57 km2) wildlife preserve operated by the
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most-visited wildlife refuges in the country, drawing 1.5 million annual visitors via neighboring Chincoteague, with most arriving in the summer for the public beach.[2] The refuge is also popular for the Chincoteague Island Pony Swim, in which the refuge's herd of ponies is rounded up and corralled before swimming the channel to Chincoteague.[3]
History
Local legend has it that the ponies escaped from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon and swam to shore. However, historians believe that in the 17th century, settlers used the island for livestock to avoid fencing regulations and taxation.[4] Even though no one is certain how the ponies got to the island, their descendants still live there today.
The island is also famous for
The Assateague Lighthouse was constructed in 1833 to warn ocean travelers of the dangerous shoals offshore. A more powerfully illuminated brick lighthouse was in the process of being built, but was postponed due to the
When the construction of the lighthouse began, Assateague Village was established. In 1915, there were 25 to 30 families reported living there, not including the lighthouse keepers and their families.[5] Around 1922, the village started to decline in population after Dr. Samuel B. Fields of Baltimore acquired most of the land on the Virginia side of the island. Dr. Fields had his land fenced off, refusing villagers permission to cross his land to get to Toms Cove.[citation needed]
Since Toms Cove was blocked, villagers began to leave the island. Their houses then were jacked up, placed on skids, and taken to the waterfront. There, they were placed on barges and relocated to Chincoteague Island. Bill Scott had operated the village's only general store and was the last one to leave the village. In 1943, the S.B. Fields family sold their property to the U.S. Government for use as a National Wildlife Refuge.
In 1962, a bridge was constructed linking Chincoteague to Assateague Island for the first time and transforming the town from a fishing community into a tourism gateway for the refuge.[2] By 2012, the refuge was seeing 1.5 million visitors a year.[2]
Activities
Beach
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Chincoteague_Beach_2019.jpg/220px-Chincoteague_Beach_2019.jpg)
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge's most popular attraction is its mile-long, undeveloped beach. In a 2011 survey, 80% of visitors cited the beach as their main reason for coming to the refuge.[2] The beach acts as an enclave within the larger refuge and is maintained by the National Park Service instead of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.[2] The NPS maintains parking lots of loose sand and shells to accommodate nearly 1,000 vehicles.[2]
Long-term stability
With rising sea levels, the recreational beach is located on one of the most exposed places on Assateague Island and the area often floods due to large storms, forcing parking lots to be continually rebuilt further west at a cost of up to $700,000 per event. Areas that were once used for parking in the 1990s are now underwater. Park officials have questioned whether or not parking lots and a public beach can both be accommodated with the rising frequency of flooding, and in 2012 the Fish and Wildlife Service began working on a 15-year, long-term management plan. A proposal to move the recreational beach area north with limited parking areas to be supplemented with a shuttle service and satellite parking in Chincoteague has been criticized by Chincoteague officials, who say the plan threatens the town's economic viability as tourists could potentially find the situation unattractive. Park officials however oppose "hard engineering solutions" like sea walls and pumping in offshore sand to rebuild the eroding beaches, citing the natural instability of barrier islands and policies preventing the interference of natural processes within the refuge.[2]
Future relocation
In 2023, as part of the Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Transportation Projects Program, 17.7 million dollars was awarded to relocate the recreational beach 1.5 miles north. A new access road will be built, along with four new parking lots, boardwalks, and other facilities designed to better withstand extreme weather events without negatively affecting tourism.[6]
Chincoteague ponies
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Virginia_Chincoteague_Ponies.jpg/220px-Virginia_Chincoteague_Ponies.jpg)
The refuge is home to Virginia's herd of approximately 150 Chincoteague ponies, which grazes within a large fenced area. In late July each year, members of the
Hunting
The main objective of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is to provide a safe habitat for all species. Hunting and harvesting the surplus of animals is one tool used to control the population of some species of big game and waterfowl. The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge manages its hunt through a permit system. For specific hunting regulations, visit the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries.
Visitors Center
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Chincoteague_National_Wildlife_Refuge_Sign_1.jpg/290px-Chincoteague_National_Wildlife_Refuge_Sign_1.jpg)
The Herbert H. Bateman Educational and Administrative Center opened in October 2003. Visitors can go to the center to purchase passes, pick up maps, and ask questions of the staff. The visitor center was built with several sources of sustainable and renewable energy. Geothermal energy provides heating and cooling to the building, while solar panels on the roof also provide energy. The floors and ceiling are made from recycled materials such as tires, bamboo, and aspen wood. A variety of exhibits within the center give information to visitors on the history of the refuge, and plants and animals to be found there. The Herbert H. Bateman Educational and Administrative Center is open seven days a week between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the spring, fall, and winter, and between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the summer.
Geography
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is located on the southern end of Assateague Island, an oblong-shaped
Climate
The average highs for the summer months, June through September, range between 81 °F (27 °C) and 85 °F (29 °C). The average low is between 63 °F (17 °C) and 68 °F (20 °C) as opposed to the average high for the spring and fall seasons which is roughly 64 °F (18 °C) with an average low of 47 °F (8 °C). Winter has an average high around 51 °F (11 °C) with an average low of 34 °F (1 °C). Rainfall averages 3.68 inches (93 mm) per month and typically peaks in the spring and fall seasons. On average the warmest month is July and the highest recorded temperature was 102 °F (39 °C) in 1999.[7] During the summer, humidity is a factor along with heat that may make being outside uncomfortable; especially since there is an abundance of moisture coming from the surrounding waters. January is on average the coldest month, the lowest recorded temperature was −2 °F (−19 °C) in 1982.[7]
Ecology
Chincoteague Refuge has several habitats ranging from the beach to the marshes.
Beach
Beach plants such as the threatened
Freshwater areas
There are freshwater
Shrubs
This area extends north and south on the barrier flats and backdunes. The shrubs gradually merge in the east with dune grasses and in the west with marshes or forests. This is mostly inhabited by migrating and nesting songbirds, as well as migrating
Maritime forest
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Delmarva_fox_squirrel_%287013873661%29.jpg/290px-Delmarva_fox_squirrel_%287013873661%29.jpg)
The formerly endangered Delmarva fox squirrel, white-tailed deer, sika deer, and raccoons are just a few of the animals that inhabit the forest. The forest occurs in large clusters on old dunes, west of the shrub areas and impoundments. These parts of the island have been the most stable over time.
Dunes
These dunes serve as a primary line of defense against storm surges, protecting habitats of other wildlife from being lost to the salt water. The dunes function as nesting areas for the threatened piping plover and other shorebirds. The sand dunes are home to many organisms such as the ghost crab, red fox and raccoons. These areas typically appear barren, but this is only because many of the animals are hiding for fear of being preyed upon.
Salt marshes
The regular flooding from the tide influences the distribution of salt marsh plants. These salt marshes can be found to the west of the barrier islands. They are home to black ducks, clapper rails, and other species.
Fauna of Chincoteague
- pigeon or woodpeckerin order to ambush its prey. It has also been known to be aggressively territorial, even against other birds of prey.
- Piping plover (Charadrius melodus): Piping plovers migrate between the United States and the Gulf of Mexico between seasons, but the time spent in the Assateague State Park is used to breed. Piping plover eggs often fall prey to raccoons, gulls, or foxes.
- Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis): Brown pelicans are specialized hunters. They use their enormous bill and expandable pouch to dive into the water to capture fish. They resurface to feed on the fish and take flight again. They consume approximately 4 pounds (1.8 kg) of fish a day. This breed of pelican lays two to four eggs after it mates. They typically exist in colonies.
- Sika deer (Cervus nippon): Sika elk typically inhabit the sand dune areas and marshes within Assateague. They were originally introduced from Japan or eastern Asia. They often behave like larger North American Elk and display amazing battles between potential male mates during mating season. There are multiple subspecies of sika that exist throughout Asia, but many have gone extinct and therefore have been transplanted into other parts of the world to resuscitate the population.
- Red fox (Vulpes vulpes): Red foxes are typically active at night throughout Assateague. They are commonly spotted on the shoreline. They use their finely tuned ears to detect prey such as mice that hide beneath the snow or sand. As a result, they are effective in controlling the rodent populations. Red foxes have a short life span, but some have been recorded to survive up to the age of 14.
- chelicerate arthropod, rather than a crab, and has a strange similarity to spiders due to its multiple pairs of eyes. Horseshoe crabs typically feed on razor clamsand other shellfish, and they are hunted by many species of shore birds as well as trout, flounder and true crabs.
- Black skimmer (Rynchops niger): Black skimmers are specialized hunters due to the way they use their beaks. Both portions of the beak are partly colored black, but the lower mandible of the black skimmer is longer than the upper mandible and is used to skim across the surface of the water, thereby scooping up any unsuspecting fish. This species of bird is currently marked as a threatened species. They typically breed in colonies on beaches and lay approximately three to five eggs.
- Wild ponies: The Virginia herd of poniesis owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, who hold a carnival during Pony Penning to raise funds. Each year the Virginia herd is rounded up for the pony penning and auction. The Pony Penning began as a way for livestock owners to claim and harness their loose herds. By the 1700s it had become an annual event. Pony Penning is held in July during the Chincoteague Volunteer Fireman's Carnival.
See also
- List of National Wildlife Refuges of the United States
Notes
- ^ a b c Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce. "Natural Attractions", Discover the Spirit of Chincoteague Island Virginia Visitor's Guide 2008, 2008, p. 6 and 8.
- ^ a b c d e f g Weeks, Jennifier. "In Virginia, Encroaching Seas Pit Parking against Preservation". scientificamerican.com. Scientific American. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ a b c Rutland, Julia. "The Best Things To Do On Chincoteague Island, Virginia". southernliving.com. Southern Living. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ "The Wild Horses of Assateague Island" (PDF). Assateague Island National Seashore. National Park Service. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ a b "History". Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
- ^ Noe, Eliza. "Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge gets nearly $18 million for beach access project". pilotonline.com.
- ^ a b "Ashburn, VA Monthly Weather Forecast - weather.com". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.gov: Official Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge website
- Fws.gov: Chincoteague: A National Wildlife Refuge (1947) by Rachel Carson
- Fws.gov: The short film Celebrating Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (2006) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
- DNR.md: Assateague Island
- NPS.gov: Animals of Chincoteague