assateague island national seashore mission statement

#Assateague island national seashore mission statement free

Do not touch, feed or otherwise entice the horses. Stay at least a school bus length (40 feet) away from the wild horses. All food must be stored inside a latchable hard-sided cooler or inside your vehicle.

#Assateague island national seashore mission statement free

Wild Horses: Wild (or feral) horses roam free on the island. Reservation holders who have not checked in by noon of the day following their reservation date are considered 'no shows' and the site may be re-sold. Campers who arrive after the Ranger Station closes must check in with the rangers before 10 am the next morning. Access to both Maryland and Virginia entrances are reached by bridge over mainland routes.Įntrance Fee: An Interagency (America the Beautiful) Pass, Assateague Annual Pass, or $25 entrance fee is required to enter the park in addition to camping fees. If you do not already own a pass you may pay the fee upon arrival.Ĭheck-in: Campers must check in at the Ranger Station upon arrival. The island can be accessed from the northern route in Maryland or the southern route in Virginia, but there is no through road from one end of the island to the other. Water in the campground is available when temperatures are above freezing, and year round at the dump stations.

Oceanside Individual sites: From March 15 through November 15 each year (first come first serve only, November 16 - March 14).Īmenities include vault toilets, drinking water, and unheated showers (March 15 - November 15 only) for rinsing off sand.

Equestrian Non-electric sites: From October 16 through April 15 each year (closed April 16 - October 15).

Advance reservations are available up to 6 months in advance during the following dates: For more information visit the Assateague Island National Seashore website. The Assateague Island National Seashore, Assateague State Park, and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge work together to manage and protect this unique, diverse strip of land. The Over-Sand Vehicle (OSV) Zone at Assateague Island contains miles of unspoiled beaches managed by the National Park Service to accommodate OSV enthusiasts and other beach goers. Favorite recreational activites include fishing, surfing, beachcombing, swimming, and sunbathing. Only a couple of miles wide at its broadest point, the island's terrain offers shelter to the famed wild horses as well as sika deer, ghost crabs, and migrating birds such as the great blue heron and snowy egret.

Today's visitors can explore sandy beaches, salt marshes, maritime forests, and coastal bays. Assateague Island, dedicated as a National Seashore on September 1, 1965, lays claim to a long and rich history. Famed for its wild horses, this barrier island is a constantly shifting ribbon of sand, altered daily by powerful wind and waves. Only munitions debris was uncovered, which poses no explosive risk therefore, no further action is proposed.Assateague Island National Seashore CampgroundĪssateague Island National Seashore is a 37-mile long barrier island on the Atlantic Coast of Maryland and Virginia. The team found no live munitions or explosives of concern during the thorough investigation. The RI fieldwork was completed in spring 2018. The contract for the RI/FS was awarded in fiscal 2016. Army Corps of Engineers completed a Site Inspection in 2007 that recommended a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS). NPS has distributed educational materials regarding previous findings and appropriate safety protocol. Within a 2-mile radius of the sites, there are few residential areas and no industrial presence. In addition, a practice bomb and 20mm cannon casing have been found. The Formerly Used Defense Site areas, totaling approximately 7,000 acres, are located in the northern portion of the island and are owned by NPS and the State of Maryland.Įxplosive ordnance demolition teams have previously recovered rocket motors, practice rockets, and inert ballistic tips from the northern rocket range. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of Virginia, and the U.S. Assateague Island is currently owned by the National Park Service (NPS), the State of Maryland, the U.S. In 1943, the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge was established, and, in 1965, Assateague Island was established as a national seashore. It was reported the Department of Defense created two to three burial areas for spent munitions at the end of the war during site cleanup. Most of the aircraft originated from naval air stations located in Chincoteague, Virginia, and Manteo, North Carolina. Navy used two areas on the island for air-to-ground target practice, using practice rockets, bombs and projectiles. Assateague Island is a 37-mile-long, 17,522-acre barrier island, located along the eastern shore of Maryland and Virginia on the Delmarva Peninsula.ĭuring World War II, from 1944 - 1947, the U.S.