The uncertain future of N.C.'s wild horses

North Carolina has long been proud of the wild horses that roam our coast. (We even promote a link to the Shackleford Banks horse foundation under our links section.) But these animals face an uncertain future because of tourism, according to the AP.

On a stretch of barrier island without paved roads, some of the last wild horses in the eastern United States are seeing their world get smaller each year.

A boom in vacation homes in the last 25 years in this remote place has seen the descendants of colonial Spanish mustangs confined to a 7,500-acre sanctuary on the northern tip of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. And now the herd itself may shrink along with its habitat.

A plan backed by the federal government would see the herd reduced from about 115 horses today to no more than 60 in a bid to stop the animals, designated North Carolina’s state horse this year, from competing with federally protected birds for increasingly hard-to-come-by resources.

The Fish and Wildlife Service says the plan will reduce harmful behavior by a species it considers a nuisance. But residents who rely on the horses to bring in tourist dollars or who simply cherish the mustangs as a symbol of the country’s spirit worry it could bring about the collapse of the herd through hereditary diseases and other complications of a shallow gene pool.

“The American wild horse is disappearing from our country,” said Karen McCalpin, executive director of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, a nonprofit group that manages the herd. “To me, they’re as much a symbol of freedom as the bald eagle.” ...

Thousands of mustangs once roamed the Outer Banks, descendants of horses brought during an ill-fated Spanish colonial mission in the 1520s. But Highway 12 has been steadily moving north through the barrier islands, reaching Corolla in the 1980s and bringing rapid development with it.

Huge, brightly painted vacation homes now line the road, and even pop up behind the dunes on Corolla’s beach, accessible only by vehicles with four-wheel drive. Once the paved road ends, there’s no development except vacation homes, some as big as mansions. ...

The horses around Corolla are in a unique situation. Unlike their counterparts farther south in Shackleford Banks, the mustangs don’t have any kind of federal protection.

In fact, on its website, the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge describes the animals as something of a pest: “The Fish and Wildlife Service considers the horses to be nonnative, feral animals and not a natural component of the barrier island ecosystem,” it reads. “These animals compete with native wildlife species for food and fresh water.”

The management plan calls for the size of the herd to be kept at 60, meaning horses in excess of that number would have to be captured and put up for adoption to new homes off the island, while remaining mares would be treated with contraceptive medication to stop them from becoming pregnant. ...

Quick hits: It's 'cane season, and an official state horse?

It's hurricane season, y'all

"The 2010 Atlantic hurricane season has begun and comes at a time when oil from a spill off the Louisiana coast continues spewing into the Gulf of Mexico," according to the AP.

"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an active season, with as many as 23 named tropical storms.

"An estimated eight to 14 storms could strengthen into hurricanes. Of those storms, three to seven could become major hurricanes. ..."

Senate gives Mustang the OK

"The state Senate has passed a bill naming the Colonial Spanish Mustang the official State Horse of North Carolina.

"Sen. Pro-tem Marc Basnight, D-Dare, requested the adoption of the bill in the Senate. The legislation now heads to the House, where it has backing from Rep. Bill Owens, D-Pasquotank, and Rep. Tim Spear, D-Washington," says the Daily Advance.

"The idea for the designation came from students at Shawboro Elementary School in Currituck County. Basnight’s staff, Owens, Spear and other leaders attended a meeting at Shawboro in January.

"There are currently about 100 wild horses in Corolla and around 120 living in Shackleford Banks in Carteret County. ..."

Banker ponies get new fillies

WRAL reports that a couple of new new fillies have been added to the herd of wild horses at Shackleford Banks.

National Parks wildlife rangers introduced the fillies, Sacajawea and Jitterbug, to the Shackleford Banks herd and released them this week.

Sacajawea and Jitterbug are of the same Banker bred as the herd, which numbers around 110 horses.

The National Park Services adopted the fillies from the Foundation for Shackleford Horses, which manages the herd and conducts genetics research.

(Image courtesy of the Foundation)

Quick hits: Ferry to Shackleford & a perfect storm hits MB park

Group wants input on sites for Shackleford Banks ferry
"Cape Lookout National Seashore is looking for a base of operations for ferry service to Shackleford Banks and wants the public’s input on potential sites in Beaufort and Morehead City," said the Daily News.

"The two towns offer the shortest ferry ride to Shackleford Banks, and the park service is studying potential departure sites for a single base of operations in the area, said Cape Lookout Management Assistant Wouter Ketel.

"A public meeting is set for Wednesday as part of an environmental assessment now under way.

"Ketel said the information will provide the public with information on possible sites already identified and also gather their input on those sites and any other ideas they may have. ..."

Myrtle Beach park hit by 'perfect storm'
"Freestyle Music Park, the successor of bankrupt Hard Rock Park, had a sub-par debut summer, but the park will survive, officials say.

" 'Overall, I’m real happy and proud of this summer,' said Steve Baker, president of FPI MB Entertainment, which bought the park out of bankruptcy in February.

" 'We got the park open. The park looks great, the employees are outstanding, and the guest reviews have been terrific. The results of the park are not what we wanted, but I don’t think we understood the economy like it was going to be,' " he told the Sun News.

"Unlike its predecessor, Freestyle is finishing its first summer without a threat of bankruptcy, but it wasn’t a financial home run. Several firms have filed lawsuits against the park to receive payment for services, and much of the summer was marked by deep discounting to attract thrill-seekers. ..."

Enjoy the majesty of the Shackleford wild horses

There's a poignant scene in "Nights in Rodanthe" (yes, I admit I've seen it) where Diane Lane's character finally -- after apparently many, many years of waiting -- sees the Banker ponies along the Outer Banks. They are a sight to behold.

This video (courtesy of YouTube.com via my mother) is a wonderful one that discusses the Shackleford Banks wild horses, in Carteret County.

As I've said before, I've often loved standing along the edge of the water in Beaufort, looking across to the islands, hoping to get a glimpse of these wonderful animals.

If you are interested in helping to support the care of these creatures, click here. You could even adopt one of them, I believe!

(Photo courtesy of the wild horses foundation)

DNA may prove Spanish heritage

We've discussed before the majestic wild horses along North Carolina's coast. For years there have been theories on how they came to be. The most popular (and most plausible) is that they came ashore after a Spanish ship sank hundreds of years ago.

Now, further DNA test may prove that that is the case.

"An equine genetics specialist from Texas is collecting genetic material -- 60 strands of hair from horses in the herds on Shackleford Banks and around Corolla -- to analyze where these postcard-perfect icons of North Carolina originated," says the News & Observer.

"He expects the research will reinforce studies he conducted on the horses in the 1990s that indicated they have Spanish blood -- possibly descending from a lineage of horses brought by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. Blood tests found a link, but they may not be as definitive as the DNA testing he is now conducting.

" 'I think we're looking at something historically significant,' said Gus Cothran, a professor at Texas A&M University. ..."

There's more to it than just solidifying the horses' heritage. According the article, having a "Colonial" pedigree may make the horses (which can outgrow their habitats) more "attractive to horse owners eager to adopt exotic breeds."

"Herds around Corolla and on Shackleford Banks remain the largest surviving groups of so-called Banker horses -- the unbridled breed smaller than the average horse that have long captivated Outer Banks visitors. Legends held that the animals descend from Spanish mounts brought to North American in the 1500s. And English ships that came later may also have carried Spanish horses.

"After inspections of the Corolla and Shackleford horses, the Horse of the Americas registry ruled this winter that, while not purebred, both herds are rare descendants of Colonial Spanish equines.

"Not only do they have the distinctive trots and canters common in the Spanish lines, they also have certain physical characteristics. Horse bones found north of Corolla show spinal columns with fused vertebrae -- a feature typical of the Spanish horses. Also, their hooves are large for their body size -- another Spanish trait."