Blogging the Beach

A two-year study could resolve a debate over the effect of Corolla’s wild horses on prime waterfowl habitat.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to team with North Carolina State University to conduct exclosure studies within the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge to determine effects of large grazing mammals on three habitat types found there - maritime forests, marshland and wet meadows.

Read the entire article from HamptonRoads.com.

The Currituck Outer Banks has enjoyed quite a bit of press in recent days! The Daily Advance reports on a recent exhibit of photos chronicling the history of Long Point:

More than 200 residents and history enthusiasts filed into Currituck Middle School last June for an event celebrating the 150th anniversary of the building of the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal.

The event was such a success that Barbara Snowden, Currituck’s official historian, and the Currituck County Historical Society have arranged a display of 19th century “then and now” images of Long Point Island at Currituck Public Library in Barco.

Read the full article.

Also, the Piedmont Review highlights a nice article on the region’s two best attractions: the wild horses and the wine.

Rows of corn stand alongside Cabernet vines, and migratory snow geese nestle among the Sangiovese, part of the acres of grapes in Sanctuary, home to an amazing assemblage: Syrah, Tempranillo, Viognier, Norton and the classic Muscadine. These grapes, according to Wright, ripen in the intense summer heat, tempered by cooling ocean breezes. The ancient sand dunes provide drainage and unique flavor to the fruit.

Click here for a PDF of the article.

Visitors to the Currituck area of the Outer Banks will marvel at the sight of horses roaming freely along the beach, down dusty town roads, and even near the many vacation rentals lined along the shore. Currituck County is proud to have these majestic, legendary creatures live among us, and it’s our hope to preserve the numbers of the herd for generations to come. To maintain the safety of the wild horses, and of our guests and residents, new ordinances are in place to help ensure safe vacations all around.

If you’re on the Currituck Outer Banks and see one of the famed wild mustangs, county officials want you to keep your distance…Visitors are urged not to feed the horses because the food could have devastating effects on their health, including causing death.

Please read the entire article from the Daily Advance on the new guidelines for horse watching and interaction. Enjoy the Mustangs from a distance and do your part to keep them healthy and around for a long time.