Assateague stretches for
37 miles along the coasts of Maryland and Virginia, bordered by the
Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Sinepuxent and Chincoteague Bays to
the west. Despite its
relatively small size, less than 18,000 acres, a surprising array of
habitats and natural features can be found on Assateague Island. Differences in elevation
and in the proximity to surrounding water bodies give various areas of
the island distinctly different plant populations. Along the seaward
side, sandy beaches extend the length of the island. Beyond the
beach, natural and human-made dunes protect inland habitats from salt
spray and ocean waves, allowing shrub thickets and pine forests to
thrive. During periods of rain, many freshwater pools form in
depressions in these areas.
Assateague Island is part of a vast chain of barrier islands extending
from Maine to Texas. Changing sea level and migration of offshore
sediments play vital roles in forming and maintaining these important
coastal features. Barrier islands are highly dynamic places, as
currents and storms work to continuously reshape the land form.
Long shore currents continuously transport sand south along the
coast. Harsh winter weather pulls sand from dunes and upper
beaches, depositing it into offshore sand bars and reducing beach
width, while gentler
wave action in the milder summer weather acts to restore the
shoreline.
Assateague is also moving westward as a result of sea-level rise and
the force of the surf through a process called “island rollover.”
During severe storm events, sand is eroded from the ocean beaches and
carried across the island by flood waters and re-deposited in marshes
along the western shore, steadily narrowing the bay that separates the
island from the mainland. These events can break through dunes,
spilling sand in fanlike deposits or even carving inlets, such as the
one that has separated Assateague and Ocean City since 1933. Long
shore currents will eventually deposit sediments and close these gaps
unless, like the Ocean City inlet, it is maintained with jetties and
dredging.
Assateague Island consists of three major public areas: Assateague
Island National Seashore in MD and VA, managed by the National Park
Service; Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in VA, managed by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and Assateague State Park in MD,
managed by the MD Department of Natural Resources. Assateague Island
National Seashore is administered to provide for recreational use and
enjoyment consistent with the perpetuation and maintenance of the
seashore's natural environment. Together, these agencies hold in trust
a priceless seashore ecosystem of wildlands, wildlife, and outdoor
recreation.
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| Getting
to
Assateague & Ocean City, MD (From
Washington DC): Chincoteague is about 3 hours (138 miles).
From the Bay Bridge, take US 50 East, follow signs for Ocean City. A
few miles outside Ocean City, turn right on Route 611 to Assateague
Island. |
Getting
to
Assateague & Chincoteague, VA
(From Washington, DC): Chincoteague is about a 3.5 hour drive
(175 miles). Take US 50 East across the Bay Bridge and south to
Salisbury, MD, pick up US 13 South and then Route 175 east to
Chincoteague Island. When you get to Chincoteague Island, turn left at
light onto Main St., then turn right on Maddox Blvd. to Assateague
Island. |
Chincoteague
National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 62, Chincoteague, VA 23336
(757) 336-6122
http://chinco.fws.gov/
The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
was
founded in 1943 as a
wintering area for migratory waterfowl. In the 1960's a causeway and
bridge were built providing access to the refuge on Assateague from
Chincoteague. The Refuge includes more than 14,000 acres of
beach, dunes, marsh,
and maritime forest which provide
habitat for waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, and songbirds as well
as other species of wildlife and plants. Chincoteague is also one of
the
top five shorebird migratory staging areas in the eastern U.S. In
1990,
the barrier islands which make up Chincoteague Refuge, along with other
barrier islands of the eastern shore of VA and MD, were designated an
International
Shorebird Reserve. This coastal barrier island/lagoon system has also
been
designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and the US Department of
Interior has designated the area a National Natural Landmark.
Chincoteague
NWR Waterfowl List
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Assateague
Island
National Seashore
7206 National Seashore
Lane,
Berlin, MD 21811
(410) 641 -3030 or (410) 641 -1441
http://www.nps.gov/asis/
or http://www.assateagueisland.com/
Assateague
Island National
Seashore was established in 1965. More
than half of the
Seashore’s 48,000 acres is comprised of near-shore and estuarine
waters, and the interplay between these waters and the barrier island
affects nearly every aspect of life in this dynamic coastal
environment. Located
along the Atlantic migratory flyway,
Assateague plays host to a wide variety of both migratory and
resident bird species. Because its mid-latitude location is
within the
migratory routes of both northern and southern species, the island
provides a unique opportunity for birders. The island’s rich
mosaic of
forest, dune, and marsh habitats offers feeding and nesting
opportunities for a wide array of shorebirds, songbirds, raptors,
waterfowl, and waders.
Shorebirds by the tens of thousands depend upon
the island’s protected foraging and resting areas during their
twice-yearly transcontinental migrations.
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Assateague State Park
7307 Stephen Decatur Highway, Berlin, MD 21811
(410) 641-2120
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/eastern/assateague.html
Maryland's only ocean park is located on Assateague Island.
Two miles of ocean beaches offer swimming, beachcombing, sunbathing,
surfing and fishing. The island's bayside offers canoeing to secluded
coves. The marsh areas have a variety of wildlife, including deer and
feral horses.
Assateague was selected by National Geographic Travel magazine in 1994
as one of the 10 best state parks in the United States.
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Ocean City
Inlet
Ocean City, MD
Ocean City is in Worcester County, Maryland. It is the only part of the
state that fronts the sea. The county is connected to the Chesapeake
Bay via the Pokomoke River.The Ocean City Inlet was formed during a
powerful storm in 1933.
Engineers took advantage of nature's intervention and made the inlet at
the south end of Ocean City permanent. The inlet eventually helped to
establish Ocean City as one of the world's great fishing ports as it
offered easy access to the fishing grounds of the Atlantic Ocean.
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