Category Archives: Wildlife Tales

By the Time Most People Arrive, the Cowboys are Already Riding

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     Pony Penning in 2010 will be held the week of July 26-July 30. The Swim will be Wednesday, July 28 and the Auction, the following day, Thursday, July 29. For full schedule go to http://www.chincoteaguechamber.com/

  By Misty Thornton and Robert Boswell

Here in the middle of winter on the Eastern Shore of Virginia may be an odd time to be looking ahead to summer and the grand event that is known as Pony Penning, which brings thousands to Chincoteague Island around the end of July. But actually the planning for pony week goes on all year long.

The ponies, unknown to many, are rounded up not only in July, but also in October, the fall roundup, and again in April, the spring roundup. No ponies are auctioned off at these roundups but Dr. Charlie Cameron, the long-time pony veterinarian, gets to see every one of them. The ponies don’t like it much, but Dr. Cameron makes them open their mouths anyway, and gives them each a squirt of worm medicine and other protections against the elements of living in the wild of Assateague Island.

The ponies also get to see the Salt Water Cowboys who come to the islands three times a year for the roundups.  

In July, visitors who plan to get up early Monday morning to see the ponies as they are herded along the Atlantic Ocean waterfront, or plan to get up even earlier to see them swim Assateague Channel on that Wednesday morning, might keep in mind it is the Cowboys who get up earlier than anyone. Their work begins on Saturday, two days before Pony Penning even begins.

The Cowboys, almost as famous as the Chincoteague ponies begin their work on Saturday with the roundup of the southern herd. Then, on Sunday they move to the northern range to round up the larger herd of about 100 ponies and foals. The Cowboys come from near and far places including Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia.

All of them bring their own mounts in trailers along with hay, water, and riding gear. Some leave early in the week for what is an annual family event, meeting old friends and children of friends they have known for years.

Generations of Cowboys have ridden in the roundups. The current  July pony week came about after a string of disastrous fires in the Town of Chincoteague. The villagers realized their fire fighting equipment was seriously inadequate. In 1925 the town authorized the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company to hold a carnival during Pony Penning to raise funds.

That year over 15 colts were sold to benefit the fire company and the carnival was a huge success. Bolstered by the interest in the pony swim, visitors began arriving from across the country for the annual penning. The crowd in 1937 was estimated at 25,000. The increased revenue from the carnivals and auctions enabled the fire company to modernize its equipment and facilities, and in 1947 it began to build its own herd by purchasing ponies from local owners. They moved the herd to Assateague where the government allowed, publicly owned, not private, herds to graze on the newly established Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

That same year, 1947, Marguerite Henry published “Misty of Chincoteague,” the story that made Pony Penning internationally famous. A movie followed, as did several sequel books. The tale of the wild pony Phantom, her foal Misty and the children who buy and raise her has become a classic, still loved and enjoyed by each new generation.

As much as pony week has become an occasion they look forward to, no one should fail to realize that rounding up the ponies from the ranges of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in July is a hot, sometimes dangerous task in prime mosquito and biting bug territory.

The July roundup for Pony Penning can take place in extreme heat. The fall roundup, in October, and the spring roundup in April, can have unbearable weather conditions too.

Cowboy Tom Garner drives 250 miles from his home in North Carolina to get here, pulling Buzz in his trailer.

During spring roundup a few years ago a nor’easter moved in, he said in a previous interview. “In the morning we had thunder and lighting and by the time we finished the rain had turned to sleet.”  In the driving rain, he said, if you don’t keep your horse in motion he will turn his back to the wind. “It was the wettest and coldest I have ever been in my life,” said Mr. Garner.

Mr. Garner said he has been thrown off  twice because the horse’s hooves got stuck in the mud.  ”The job is definitely harder than it looks,” he said “Getting out there and just riding through marsh and grass sounds easy, but it’s not. Each step your horse takes you hear the sound ‘squish, squash, squish, squash’. Bringing in the ponies is a lot of work and taking them through the town, they seem to wander off every once and a while.”

But Garner, nor any of the other cowboys, would rather be anyplace else. “It’s a real honor, to ride,” he said, “and I enjoy seeing spectators enjoying the horses and look forward to it each year.”

Another veteran cowboy who has many stories to tell is Walter Marks, riding for some 28 years. Like so many other riders, he plans to keep it going in the family. His son, Tyler, now a 10th grader, is going to take the reins at the spring roundup as a full fledged Cowboy. Tyler has been by his dad’s side as long as anyone can remember.

The senior, Mr. Marks, a retired state trooper recalls being injured twice. Once was when ice caused his horse to rear up, catching his stomach on the saddle horn, sending him to the doctor.

About 20 years ago, a horse snagged a foot in the sand and “did a summersault on top of me.” That time he broke his leg.

The work of the Cowboys is not done when the ponies are herded into their pens. The northern herd is brought in on Sunday. At daybreak Monday, the ponies are herded down to the beach front and follow along what has become known as the beach run. The ponies are kept in a tight formation because some try to break out. It is often foggy this time of morning on the beach and quiet, except for the lapping waves. So the appearance of the cowboys with ponies in tow can be sudden. The first signal may be the crack of a bull whip, the sound used by the cowboys to move the ponies along. As the whole parade nears Beach Road, the road that runs all the way to the beach, applause breaks out from some 3,000 people who now turn out for this event.

The Cowboys move the ponies into the turn and continue up beach to the big holding pen on the curve. There, the northern herd and the southern herds are joined together, remaining there until the next step of their journey, Wednesday morning. Once again the ponies are moved across sometimes difficult terrain down to the water’s edge. At the first slack tide, the Coast Guard sends up red smoke signaling that the swim is underway.

That brings an uproar from the tens of thousands waiting on banks of the west side of the channel for this storied event to take place.

The wait can be long. To be assured of getting a decent view, people begin arriving as early as 5 a.m for a swim that may not take place for hours. This year visitors should check the latest word from the fire department and on the radio for the time of the swim.

No matter what time it is held, it is another very early day of work for the Cowboys. As the ponies swim over, with only their heads above water, they are watched over by Cowboys, fire department and medical staff. When they come ashore, they are steered into a holding area to rest for about 45 minutes before moving along to their final destination, the Chincoteague Carnival grounds on Main Street.

Many visitors take advantage of the rest to get a close-up look at these famous animals, even getting close enough to pet a forehead or two, but always under the watchful eyes of the Cowboys.

After resting, the ponies are again put into a tight formation and moved along Pony Swim Lane to Ridge Road, where thousands of people line the route cheering and just taking in an experience that bought them to Chincoteague from around the world.

The ponies, with a fire vehicle loaded with members of the press and usually a news helicopter overhead, moves slowly along Ridge to Beebe Road, turning right and going on to Main Street, turning right for the final leg of the journey to the carnival grounds where the auction will take place Thursday morning.

Every step the ponies take is aided by the Cowboys who watch out for people who get too close and see that the roadway is clear of people and vehicles.

The cowboys remain on the job at the auction, then Friday morning, the adult ponies and the few buybacks are marched back down to the Assateague waterfront and returned to the pastures they call home. Only then can the cowboys pack up their own horses and go back home, until the next roundup. ]

   Misty Thornton is editor of www.wildponytales.info and Mr. Boswell is the publisher.

Bus Tour, Great Way to Learn About the Wonders of Assateague

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Questions about the tours can be directed to the visitor center through email at FW5RW_CNWR@fws.gov and by phone 757-336-6122. Other information can be found on at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/chinco.

Admission for the tours is $12.00 for adults and $6.00 for children 12 and under. Tickets are sold at the Bateman Educational Center and visitors should board the bus at that location.

The following article was written by a student staff member, her assignment after riding out on the bus in the fall of 2010.

By Brianna Bowden

First Posted on January 21, 2010 by Admin

I have lived near Assateague Island in Virginia all my life. Most of my ancestors were born nearby, on Chincoteague Island and many have lived there for years. I have visited them often over the years and have been to the beautiful Assateague Beach many times.

But today I got to see a part of Assateague that was new to me. I got to ride 7 ½ miles into a wilderness seen only by a few of the 1.5 million visitors that come each year not only from all over the U.S. , but all over the world.

Along the way, as part of a group on a small tour bus that leaves from the information center, I learned a lot. The driver, Mrs. Joanne Lapole, carefully told us about everything that crossed our path including a snapping turtle, a Sika elk, the glossy ibis, which is a long-beaked wading bird; the nesting boxes of the endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrel, Canada geese and the snowy egret. She didn’t mind stopping, or even backing up, for us to get a clearer view.

Our guide told us about the history of the Chincoteague Lighthouse which is a favorite stop for visitors. She said that at the bottom of the lighthouse there was a village, the families that lived there had to change the candles that provided lights for the ships and boats that came along.

Joanne has two other jobs. She is a county school bus driver and is a teaching assistant at Kegotank Elementary here in Accomack County. “I love my job as a tour guide,” she said, and my other jobs.”She is the mother of two daughters, 21 and 24.

The wildlife tours are not without some amusing incidents. “When grown men ask me to stop the bus so they can go to the bathroom,” she said, they had better hope she stops near a large tree because, other than the woods, there are no bathrooms. All of the birds and animals we saw share this wilderness in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, with some pretty famous four-legged residents, the Chincoteague ponies. And boy did we see ponies.

There were newborn foals, some sleeping and others bouncing along after their mothers. The older ponies were grazing and being themselves, only a few feet from us. Passengers are not allowed to get off the bus, but the bus has large windows that give everyone a great view. We learned from Joanne that the pony mares live in bands of six or seven that belong to a stallion who keeps a watchful eye on them.

One colt came right up to us trying to figure out who these intruders were, looking at him through the bus windows. As we took photos he seemed to say, “Hey, what are you guys doing out here?”
This colt and most of the others don’t have much time left to enjoy their freedom in the wilderness where they were born. On July 22 he will be rounded up with all the others and run into a large corral, where the next morning they will be escorted by the world famous Salt Water Cowboys along the sand of the Atlantic Ocean in front of several thousand anxious spectators. (See story, the Beach Run, on the story menu.)

They will be moved into the corral on Beach Road to await the big day when they will swim Assateague Channel in front 30 to 40 thousand people. The foals, except for a few holdbacks and buybacks, will never return to their homeland, but will move on to new homes after being sold one by one to the highest bidders at the auction on July 26. Money from the auction, with some ponies going for $7,000 or more, supports the Chincoteague Fire Company.

The ponies of the Virginia northern herd, not seen by most visitors to the islands, share a vast wilderness with other wildlife, including snapping turtles, Sika elk, white tailed deer, wild turkeys, the Delmarva Fox Squirrel and birds of all kinds.   On our way back we got to see a lone elk just springing across the shallow water of Chincoteague Bay near the shoreline. He went a long way before finally coming onto land just a little ways from us. There is just something about seeing an animal completely free in their natural surroundings that is hard to describe. These little elk are hunted, though, in the fall to keep their population under control.

This was my first time on a tour, which is sponsored by the Chincoteague Natural History Association. This is a large organization mostly of volunteers that supports the educational goals of the agencies that run the national park.

I had a great time with my friends on this trip, which took two hours, but it was not just a pleasure outing. I am one of the newest writers for this on-line magazine. So along with me were two other writers, Harley Gooldrup and Misty Thornton, and Robert Boswell, the publisher of www.wildponytales.info and our journalism teacher. Harley is a rising 8th grader at Nandua Middle School here in Accomack County on the Eastern Shore.  Misty and I are both students at Arcadia Middle School where she is going into the 8th grade and I am going into 7th.

For us it was a learning day, as Mr. Boswell calls it, with us taking notes and learning to use the cameras, especially the one with the 100-400 mm lens. As he tells us, we get to share what we see and hear with our viewers around the world. It is a good feeling to be able to do this, to tell people who may never come here, about this place so close to my home.

If there is one more thing I want to say, it would be that if you are coming to Chincoteague, take this inexpensive bus tour, only $10 for adults and $5.00 for children. (The prices are now $12 and $6.)  It is almost the only way you are likely to see the ponies up close in their natural, wild habitat. There are commercial boat tours that take visitors up to the shoreline where the ponies roam and sometimes you can see ponies from the southern herd up close, but not often. These tour buses are air conditioned, comfortable with big windows and the tour guides are the best.

Just remember, use the restroom before you board the bus, two hours can be a long time.

Since this story was written, the students mentioned including the writer have all moved on to high school. Misty Thornton, now in the 11th grade, is a co-editor of the publication.

Wildlife on Refuge Adapting as Salt Water Levels Decline

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 By Windy Mason

The thousands of snow geese and other waterfowl that each year take the Atlantic Flyway to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge where they feed and rest in the pools of fresh and brackish water, delighting the visitors who show up to see them each Thanksgiving, this year found their feeding grounds covered with deep salt water, forcing them to relocate to places further north on the refuge.

In the pounding that the refuge and the Eastern Shore took for three days, November 17, 18 and 19, when it seemed like the wind and rain would never let up, the Atlantic Ocean roared ashore, sending water overtop roads, and filling the carefully managed feeding impoundments with salt water, that was too deep to allow the ducks and geese to reach the plants and bugs they eat. The unrelenting storm also dumped three feet or more of sand over the beach parking lots.

Joelle Buffa, senior biologist at the refuge, came back to work the Sunday after the storm. “There was water in a lot of places that didn’t normally have water,” she said. “A lot of the Wildlife Loop was under water so I was unable to drive on it,” said Buffa. “In the pools where there are normally dabbling ducks, mallards and shovelers which like water between six and 12 inches, instead there were diving ducks, like ruddy ducks, which normally only like the deeper water,” Buffa said. “There were shorebirds feeding on the water covered roads,” she said. “The immediate reason that the birds left the ponds was because the water was too deep.” These ponds are starting to have ducks in them again, because the water is low again, she said.

Amanda Daisey, the refuge wildlife biologist, said the habitat alteration and structure damage, from the November storm was very similar to changes caused by hurricane Isabel in 2003 and tropical storm Ernesto in 2006. Daisey has been at the Chincoteague refuge since 2002. Daisey said when she was sitting in the briefing given the Monday morning after the storm by Lou Hinds, refuge manager, she thought, “Here we go again.”

On Wednesday after the storm Daisey and others surveyed Assateague Island by helicopter. “Viewing the refuge and all of its islands from the air gave me a better understanding and appreciation of how Virginia’s barrier island chain functions in a natural ecosystem,” she said.

There was apparently little impact on the smaller wildlife on the island, or the wild ponies.

Hinds said they had found a few dead frogs. The turtles, and other amphibians, are believed to have moved out of elevated salinity ponds, said Daisey.

There are 14 fresh and brackish water impoundments covering over 2,623 acres. Going all the way to the Maryland line, they were constructed on the refuge 40 years ago to provide wetland vegetation as forage for waterfowl and habitat for other water birds and wildlife.

Impoundments are pools of water formed by dams or pits, to supply water for wildlife, protect their habitats and to control erosion. Fresh water impoundments are rich in soil nutrients needed for plant food growth for the wildlife. Impoundment water levels are controlled to encourage the growth of these plants and improve overall impoundment vegetation for winter feeding, nesting and other wildlife uses.

“My biggest concern was the integrity of the water control structures,” said Buffa. “Riding up Beach Road, I could see the waves coming up and over into Swan Pond Pool. There was the concern that some of the infrastructure that keeps these ponds fresh water ponds was not in good shape to begin with and it was getting worse.”

“One of the reasons we didn’t open the service road for Thanksgiving was because of damage to the road, as well as the fact that we couldn’t get people to the road because the Wildlife Loop was covered with water, Buffa said. “The service road was also closed to staff, because too much pressure could collapse it,” Buffa said.

“When we realize that there is a storm coming, there’s certain actions we take with our impoundments,” said Buffa. “As far as opening up the water control structures so that the water can flow out into the ocean, prior to the storm arriving here, we had done everything that we could to lessen the impact of the storm,” she said.

Despite opening up the water control structures prior to the storm, these pools were invaded by salt water pounding in waves up Beach Road into the impoundments, creating lingering problems with elevated salinity levels in the fresh and brackish pools. The impoundments are inhabited by plants with limited salt tolerance including linear-leaved loosestrife, swamp rose-mallow, rushes, umbrella-grass and Virginia button weed. These elevated saline levels are a danger to the composition of the plants and insects necessary to sustain the coming growing season beginning in March.

“Almost three weeks after the storm, the water levels are returning to normal. The salinity, however, is still elevated,” Buffa said. “This takes a longer time to go down than the levels; because the salt water is sitting on the bottom, meaning that the impoundments are getting rid of fresh water faster than the salt water,” she explained. “They cannot just be flushed out really fast,” she said, “This is a lingering effect of the storm.”

“Right now it has less of an effect because it is not growing season,” said Buffa.

Eva Savage, Biology Technician is the primary person in charge of water level management on the refuge. She has the heavy workload of removing or replacing the boards on the water control gates that allows water to flow in and out.

The refuge, which attracts about 1.5 million visitors a year, supports wintering snow geese, canada geese, black ducks, mallards, green-winged teal, northern pintail, ruddy duck, tundra swan and many other species.

Assateague Channel and Tom’s Cove provide critical winter feeding habitat for brant, who use refuge impoundments for fresh water and resting. The snow geese also loaf and rest in the protected impoundments. Mute swans nest in the impoundments. The geese rely on vegetation found in the impoundments and grain in mainland fields for nourishment. The ducks eat bugs that live on the plants and in the mud, as well as seeds from flowering plants. The diving ducks eat fish and dive for clams.

“The biggest effect was on the snow geese,” said Buffa. “We had like 3,000 and then they went down to zero,” she said. “That doesn’t mean that they left the refuge; they just weren’t in the places that they usually were.” They kind of adapted,” she said. “Snow geese normally like fresh or brackish water, she said, “Snow geese reach their peak in November when some of the migrants are here and also some of the wintering birds.” “The migrants just rest here and then move on,” she said, “We have a fairly high wintering population here.” Joelle explained, “We didn’t see the November peak this year; because of the storm.”

Management of refuge impoundments also enhances this habitat for wading ducks, egrets, heron and ibis which frequent the borrow ditches. Glossy ibis, black-crowned night heron, green-backed heron, tricolor and blue heron, several rail species, and great, snowy and cattle egrets all feed in the refuge marshes.

The Glossy Ibis, a Bird With a Beak You Can’t Miss

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By Megan Paulus

When spotted by editor-photographer Elizabeth Fread, along the Assateague Wildlife Loop, the Glossy Ibis appeared to be dark brown or black as it used its distinctive long beak to forage for a meal in the shallow waters along the road. It wasn’t until the photographs were pulled up on the computer screen that the painting-like coloring became apparent. As often the case, our long lens had captured what could not be seen with the naked eye.

The Glossies can be seen by visitors, not only along the loop, but other locations on the island as well. This Glossy paid us little attention, although with our telephoto lens we did not have to get up close. Also, Elizabeth has gotten quite good at moving about quietly when stalking a bird or an animal. This Glossy just went about his business of dipping his, possibly her, beak into the shallow water, then flying in little jumps, from one side of the small pond to the other, as the search for dinner continued.

 The Glossy Ibis is a bird that is about 20 inches tall, 19 inches long and has a wingspan of about 3 feet. This bird has a shiny, almost iridescent, green tail and wings. The rest of its body is dark purple or black. The most prominent feature of this bird is its beak, long and curved and yellowish in color. The Glossy Ibis is a bird that is about 20 inches tall, 19 inches long and has a wingspan of about 3 feet. This bird has a shiny, almost iridescent, green tail and wings. The rest of its body is dark purple or black.

 The most prominent feature of this bird is its beak, long and curved and yellowish in color.

During the spring and summer this bird can be found from Maine to Texas. So what better a place to look for them than Assateague Island?

The Glossy Ibis prefers to live in a variety of wetlands including marshes, coastal bays, swamps, estuaries or even a flooded field and that makes Assateague an ideal location.

The glossies make their nests out of the sticks and twigs, preferring to nest in colonies with other wading birds. With help from one of the park biologists perhaps we can bring you this photo sometime in the future. Glossy Ibis lay about 3 or 4 eggs. They prefer to make their nests to be either in a tree or in a bush but will settle for the ground if they need to. They prefer fresh water over salt water, making Assateague with its fresh water ponds, a special attraction. The Ibis eat aquatic insects and crustaceans.

There is little difference in the coloring and sizes of the males and females. Young Glossies do not have the coloring of adults. Both male and female parents feed and care for their young.

There seems to be a difference of opinion how many of them stay through the winter. The Birds of Virginia Field Guide says most of them leave in the winter. However, the Assateague.com site says these beautiful birds are common in the spring and fall and abundant in winter.

There is also a White Ibis that has none of the distinctive coloring of the Glossy.

The Wildlife Loop offers visitors a variety of habitats to explore. It opens at 3 p.m., closes at dusk, during the summer months.

 

 

 

Eagles Return to Find Nest Destroyed by Storm

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By Windy Mason and Robert Boswell

Early last December when the eagles returned to their nest on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, they found that high winds had damaged their home, causing it to fall about three feet. When the eagles returned a couple of weeks ago, after the November storm that pounded the Eastern Shore for three days, they found that the nest had this time been completely destroyed.

If the eagles were upset, no one could tell as they went right to work rebuilding, preparing the nest so they can lay eggs in late January. The nest is located high up in the Loblolly pine trees on the Wildlife Loop on the refuge. It is the same nest that drew thousands to the Bateman information center last year to watch live on a TV screen as the eagle parents rewove sticks and small branches to complete their structure just in time to lay eggs.

Visitors then counted the days, watching the male and female adults take turns sitting on the three eggs they laid, the first on January 25, the last on January 31. The excitement around the information center grew as time for the eggs to hatch grew near. Then, on March 2, the first eaglet used his “egg tooth” a point at the top, to break through the shell. The eggs hatched in the same order they were laid, the last by March 11.

Only one of the three eaglets survived, getting a daily diet of regurgitated fish brought to the nest from nearby waters. . The surviving eaglet left in early summer. The adults left soon after, returning recently for the new mating season.

The nest when rebuilt could be as large as 6 to 8 feet across, 12 feet deep and weigh over 1,000 pounds. But as of this week the eagles had a long way to go. Fresh, green twigs and pine needles can be seen on the screen. “They’re rebuilding it now,” said Michael Dixon, visitor services manager. “They’re both very active on the nest.”

The cable that carries the TV signal from the nest to the information center also needs repair. “We’ve had some trouble since the storm,” said Dixon. He said a repairman had been out in a kayak, trying to locate the problem.

Questions about the eagles can be directed to the visitor center through email at FW5RW_CNWR@fws.gov and by phone 757-336-6122. Other developments can be found on the at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/chinco/

While the eagles were at work on their nest, the refuge staff was also busy, restoring trails, roads, trying to reopen the park to visitors as soon as possible. Work has begun moving several feet of sand from around the circle at the beach and the parking lot to the north.

Before the full staff reported to work on Monday following the storm, Dixon came in on Saturday to take a new intern on a tour of the refuge. “There were some blue skies and the sun came out out and all looked somewhat right in the world,” said Dixon.

“But upon further discovery, when you go out to the beach and you see firsthand the three to four feet of sand which is covering the parking lots, one gets a true sense of what happened. I drove up the service road and went out and looked at the dunes that are on the north end and you could see where they had been carved out by the sea and the storm surge,” he said.

“The elevation of the dunes on the north end are much higher than the ones you see on the south end. So when you saw the erosion of the sand, there was a cliff-like drop off from the dunes being eroded away. The other dramatic change that occurred on the southern part of the island was the major over wash that cut through the Hook, creating another island”, said Dixon.

In the two and a half years he has been at the refuge this was the worst storm he experienced. “What surprised me most was seeing that from Beach Road to the Wildlife Loop was all covered with water,”

 “The wind gage at the National Park Service visitor center near the beach was destroyed at 70 knots,” Dixon said. Also, he said, out to the end of Swans Cove, hundreds of conch shells, not usually found there, were laying all around by the hundred.

Monday, November 21, was the first day the full staff reported to work. It began with a staff meeting conducted by Lou Hinds, refuge manager. “I was fielding calls from the Associated Press and other reporters who were calling in seeking information,” Dixon said. “The refuge manager and biologists were still assessing damage by going up in the helicopters, obtaining aerial photographs, coordinating with the National Park Service and other partners to really get a full sense of what was going on.”

Dixon said part of his job, along with other staff members, was to gather information so the refuge manager could make appropriate decisions about trail closures or public access. “It’s a challenge to keep pace with what’s happening on the ground and what people want to know,” said Dixon.

Dixon said he was struck at the resiliency of wildlife to adapt. “The birds, including snow geese which come at Thanksgiving, obviously were impacted. With salt water from the ocean covering their food supply, they relocated further north on the refuge.

“The other thing that amazed me was the willingness of people to help with the recovery effort. By that Monday, when we officially returned to work, the tree that fell over in front of the visitors’ center was gone, the boardwalk was repaired. The employees and volunteers immediately went to work. Dixon, who lives in Salisbury, said, “I felt bad being so far away and not being able to contribute to the effort; but at the same time, I felt relieved knowing that the community would come together for the sake of wildlife and this wonderful destination.”