Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is a 14,000-acre wildlife preserve operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, established in 1943 and occupying primarily the Virginia portion of Assateague Island along with small sections on the Maryland side, Morris Island and Wildcat Marsh. Its beach, dune, marsh and maritime forest habitats support diverse wildlife, most famously the Chincoteague pony, and its mission is to maintain and preserve animal and plant species and their habitats for current and future generations. The refuge is among the most visited wildlife refuges in the country, drawing about 1.5 million visitors a year, mostly during the summer beach season, and the annual Chincoteague Island Pony Swim, in which the resident pony herd is rounded up and swum across the channel to Chincoteague, is a major draw for tourists.