A dream came true for two teenagers at the July 2012 pony auction in Chincoteague, Virginia. Mollie Brooks, 13, attends middle school in Walpole, MA. She was awarded the Feather Fund pony and got to take home a wild foal from the famous herd of Chincoteague ponies. Micayla Morin, 17, is a rising junior in

  By Misty Thornton  [wzslider info="true"] It is the slow season now. The winter months that bring most seashore communities almost to a standstill. Some Chincoteague shop and restaurant owners are on vacation. The visitors to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in January and February are likely day trippers, arriving from Hampton Roads or perhaps

Thinking About Getting Your Own Pony? It Could Be a Long-Lasting Partnership   By Debbie Ober   This spring when the weather makes us all want to spend more time outdoors, teenage girls, yes, some boys, too, will turn their thoughts to getting their own pony. It is sure to be an exciting experience. One thing

Sandy ‘A Storm of Two Faces’ By Zack Hoverson and Robert Boswell As management at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island looks ahead to the upcoming release in January of its choice of a conservation plan, it again takes into account the wide impact of storms in recent history. Chosen from three plans

Story and Photos by Zackrey Hoverson Egrets are the most photographed birds on Assateague National Wildlife Refuge where about 1.4 million visitors go each year. There are few locations better suited to photograph Egrets than this Refuge on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with its canals, ponds and various waterways. Most commonly seen are the

She’s Leaving Friends and Her Beloved Chincoteague Ponies By Misty Thornton Being raised on the water in her native California, Jean Bonde had no idea she and her husband, Wayne, would in later life wind up living on the Island of Chincoteague for 16 years. Now, with age and poor health having caught up with

By Zackrey Hoverson Nikhil Bahl, a nature photographer, presented what Assateague as a barrier island can offer  photographers. He encouraged those with cameras to look for simple photographs, and not include too much in their pictures. Nikhil spoke to an audience in the auditorium on Assateague Wildlife Refuge during Waterfowl Week, November 23. Nikhil is

“She’s gorgeous” is the way Jean Bonde describes “Poco’s Starry Night,” the latest foal purchased by the Buy Back Babes. Photo by Buy Back Babes.  By Jean Bonde The writer is the chief spokesperson for the group known as the Buyback Babes, a group of women who pool their money to purchase a pony each