Assateague

The propensity of humans to tinker with the forces of nature often leads to greater problems, more complicated solutions and ever higher costs. It's a paradigm manifest in the fight to control nature and beach erosion along Maryland-Delaware vacation seashore. Now the specter is raised over the Atlantic barrier island of Assateague, which is threatened with a breakthrough by coastal storms that could bring disaster to developments along the Maryland mainland and Ocean City.The possible scenarios and remedies are discussed in an Army Corps of Engineers report that warns of a breach in the northern six miles of the sand island by powerful storms sometime in the near future.

The Coast Guard suspended its search Thursday for two men missing in waters about 15 miles off the coast of Assateague Island after their fishing boat sank a day earlier. The broken-down fishing vessel was battling 20-foot waves and 50 mph wind gusts in the Atlantic Ocean when a wave knocked North Carolina fisherman Patrick Small off the deck. From the water, Small saw another wave strike the boat, shearing off the pilot house with two other men inside, he told rescuers. The men, Walter Tate, 80, and his nephew, Stephen Tate, 60, of New Bern, N.C., were deemed lost at sea after a search at first light Thursday found nothing but debris, including the floating front half of the vessel, Coast Guard officials said.

WASHINGTON -- The House has approved a measure that would allow for the expansion of the Assateague Island National Seashore in Worcester County.The legislation, approved by voice vote yesterday, would allow the National Park Service to purchase 96 acres of the Elizabeth Woodcock estate, south of Md. 611. The rest of the 320-acre farm is expected to be largely preserved through the purchase by an environmental trust.Maryland lawmakers said the legislation was necessary to prevent commercial development of the property, owned by the late Mrs. Woodcock and located near the Verrazano Bridge, which connects Worcester County to the barrier island.

After taking a vacation from much of the mid-Atlantic coast last winter, migrating seals have been spotted making a return to Ocean City 's bays and beaches. Two or three gray or harbor seals have been spotted so far, according to reports relayed to the Maryland Coastal Bays Program. The creatures typically migrate from Canada and Maine as the water cools, but during last year's mild winter, few were seen, with little explanation. Seal trackers are encouraging spectators to report and document sightings.

What's happening at Assateague Island National Seashore on Maryland's Eastern Shore has been called "ponies on the pill."In an effort to reduce the herd, the National Park Service, which runs the seashore, has been using a dart rifle to inject mares with a contraceptive drug.Wild horses, a dying breed throughout the West, are proliferating on coastal islands from Maryland to Georgia. But scientists have determined this is not such a good thing.The horses are being blamed for disrupting the islands' ecological balance.

How many of you have been to Assateague, author Larry Points asked the youngsters who were sitting cross-legged on the floor in the media center of Clemens Crossing Elementary School. About half the children raised their hands. Then he asked how many of the kindergartners, first-graders and second-graders had been to Ocean City. Many more hands stretched in the air. Points, co-author of several children's books about Assateague and the former chief of park interpretation at the Assateague Island National Seashore, urged the children to visit the island next time they were in Ocean City.

IF CAMPING REMINDS YOU OF a bad night's sleep and mosquitoes, well, you have a good memory. But the plus side to a $500 weekend with a tent is that the budget leaves plenty of cash for adventure. The three-day trip with my husband, David, included surfing lessons, a fishing tournament and meals that were anything but freeze-dried. And we suffered zero mosquito bites, even though the place we pitched our tent is known for them in the summer. Assateague is essentially a giant sand bar. The 37-mile-long barrier island is so narrow in places you could kick a soccer ball across it. The Eastern Shore destination is known for wild ponies and sandy campsites.

ASSATEAGUE -- More than 50 years after Assateague was used as a rocket target range, federal authorities are set to remove World War II munitions that were uncovered by violent wind and waves in February.While there appears to be little danger of explosion from an estimated 130 rockets and shell fragments that lie under about 2 feet of sand, officials say hauling the material to a scrap yard will ensure safety on the heavily used beach.If the weather cooperates, the project should be finished before crowds of tourists begin arriving for Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the summer season.

CHINCOTEAGUE, Va.-- On Oct. 28, 1802, after a losing fight against a seemingly perpetual storm, a Spanish ship went down in the dark of night off the coast of Assateague Island. More than 400 people drowned when the Juno sank. The ship, it is believed, carried treasure.Now and then, the sea throws up a hint of that treasure, signs that the Juno is still out there.People who wander the empty beaches up and down Assateague have gathered these pieces of evidence over the years. Fishermen have snared them in nets offshore.

POLICE LOG* Jessup: 7300 block of Assateague Drive: A 1995 Peterbilt tractor with a trailer was stolen from Maryland Wholesale Food Center between Saturday and Sunday, police said.

For those in search of a calmer beach experience, nearby Assateague National Island Seashore can be a good alternative to Ocean City. And there's another perk to this great park- you can have bonfires on the beach. There is no better way to unwind than to sit around a fire with friends, eating s’mores, and looking up at the stars - which are easier to see at the park, miles away from civilization. It’s something I’ve done regularly for many years. If you’re going to have a fire on the beach, you'll need to pay an entry fee to get into the park.

So as summer kicks into high gear, the crowds and traffic begin to rise to their summer peak on Coastal Highway. If you are looking for a different, and in many ways more tranquil beach experience, Assateague Island National Seashore might be the spot for you. Assateague has tons of open beach, salt marshes and of course the wild horses. Here are few tips on how to make your day trip to Assateague a unique experience that will make you feel as if you vacationed in two different places during your visit down the ocean.

Spring brings all kinds of new life. The Assateague Island Allia nce reports two foals born recently to the wild horse herd that roams the National Seashore near Ocean City. The little filly pictured here was born last Friday to an 8-year-old mare dubbed April Star (aka N2BHS-C, under the alpha-numeric identification system used by the National Park Service to track the genetic lineage of the herd). The alliance, which holds an an annual horse naming auction to help support management of the animals, initially reported that this was the only new addition expected this year to the 114-horse herd because of the contraceptives administered to keep the wild animals from overpopulating the narrow, sandy barrier island.  But late yesterday, the alliance emailed that a second foal had been spotted by a park staffer, this one born to a mare named Queen Latifah (aka N9BFT)

Colleges Frostburg player died from head trauma, father says The father of a 22-year-old football player for Frostburg State who died Sunday told The New York Times that his son died from "severe head trauma. " Derek Sheely , a fullback from Germantown, died late Sunday at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. He was injured Aug. 22. "I don't know how it happened," Kenneth Sheely , Derek's father, told the Times. "It doesn't really matter how it happened, personally.

Tomorrow is the annual summertime pony swim across the Assateague channel. The wild ponies that inhabit the Chincoteague, Va., portion of the Assateague Island National Seashore will be rounded up sometime around "slack tide" and herded across the water to the carnival grounds, where they will be auctioned off. It's a big event that draws thousands to the region every year. If you're in Ocean City, it's probably no more than a 90-minute drive or less to the southern end of the shore in Chincoteague, Va. (Tomorrow it may take longer depending on traffic, of course.)

— Neil and Mary Edith Flynn waved goodbye to their son and his family and turned to their sand-colored RV. A high ridge of sea grasses and bayberry bushes blocked the ocean from view in this stretch of the state park, but the sound of hurricane-driven surf smashing onto the shore traveled over the dunes. "Well, we put everything inside and battened down the hatches," said Mary Edith Flynn, 77. "We're just going to sit here and watch the storm go by. " As Hurricane Earl hurtled up the East Coast, families along this spindly barrier island folded up tents and lugged boogie boards, chairs and dejected children to their vehicles.

POLICE LOG* Jessup: 7300 block of Assateague Drive: A Maryland driver's license and a Visa credit card were stolen from a coat pocket Dec. 6. The coat's owner was not wearing the coat during the theft.

The Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland was listed Wednesday by a pair of environmental groups as one of the 25 U.S. National Park Service properties most threatened by the effects of climate change driven by human activity. Stronger coastal storms and predicted sea-level increases of several feet by the end of this century are "virtually certain" to produce breaches and fragmentation of the island, along with losses of habitat for its animal and plant species, according to the report by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization.

Chincoteague Pony Swim Where: : Assateague/Chincoteague Island When: : Wednesday, between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., depending upon the tide. The exact time will be announced Tuesday. What: : This annual event, dating to 1925, draws a crowd of more than 40,000 who watch as wild ponies swim across the 200-yard channel between Assateague Island and Chincoteague, Va. After a rest, the ponies are herded to the Carnival Grounds, where an auction takes place at 8 a.m. Thursday. Ponies that do not sell will swim back to the island on Friday.