Assateague Island Alliance (AIA)

06/02/2026

The first Saturday in June is always one of our favorite days of the year. Join us June 6th for our first session of Beach Yoga of 2026 as we welcome back our amazing instructor, Chrissy Ehrhart of Zenna Wellness Studio for our 14th season! Join us at 8am for weekly Saturday morning yoga where you'll enjoy low impact exercise to increase balance, flexibility and reduce stress to the sound of ambient waves. All levels welcome!

Free but park entrance fees are in effect. All gifts of donation support Assateague Island's Alliance's mission to promote the awareness, education, and stewardship of Assateague Island National Seashore's wildlife and natural resources for the enjoyment of current and future generations. BYO beach towel. Meet at the Shade Pavilion in North Beach parking lot 6633 Bayberry Dr. Berlin, MD 21811. Suitable for children ages 8 and up and they must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

In the event of inclement weather all cancellations will be announced on our page no later than one hour prior to the start of the program.
https://www.facebook.com/AssateagueIslandAlliance

05/24/2026

05/11/2026

Take yourself out to the ballgame this weekend to see the Delmarva Shorebirds take the field as the Delmarva Wild Ponies ! On Friday May 15 and Saturday May 16, the Shorebirds special Wild Ponies identity pays tribute to the Wild Ponies on Assateague Island and their impact on our local Delmarva community! Assateague Island Alliance (AIA) will be on hand to lend our support and have a booth to help to educate ballgame-goers about the island's most famous inhabitants. Additionally, AIA has acquired reduced price tickets! Help us pack the stadium as the "Ponies" take on the Fayetteville Woodpeckers! Tickets available here https://www.gofevo.com/group/DMVAIA2026

Friday, May 15th there will be a Wild Ponies Bobblehead giveaway sponsored by Delmarva Auto Glass (Giveaway is to first 1000 fans into Perdue Stadium, gates open at 6pm) and after the game on Saturday, May 16th we will launch fireworks high into the sky! Come out and enjoy an evening at the ball park celebrating the wild horses cultural impact on our area. Reduced rate tickets are available now!

05/10/2026

In honor of Mother's Day we’d like to highlight one of the animal kingdom’s most attentive mothers on the planet. You can see them in action this time of year from the shores of Assateague Island National Seashore. The bond between Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncates) mothers and their calves is strong and long lasting. A calf typically stays with its mother three to six years. Although calves are born year-round, there is a peak calving season in the spring in waters along the mid-Atlantic coast. After a 12-month gestation and giving birth underwater, a mother dolphin immediately teaches the calf to breath and assists the newborn to swim by staying close to her calf and attentively directing its movements. In order to keep up with the group the calf is carried in the hydrodynamic wake that is created when the mother swims called the “slip stream”. Dolphin moms provide very rich milk for her calf for at least one year and usually longer. Fun Fact: A calf has a specially shaped tongue that forms a straw to ingest milk without ingesting any salt water! After giving birth, the mother will emit her “signature whistle”, like calling her own name, 10 times more often than usual so the calf can learn to recognize its mother, a process called imprinting. That call will come in handy whenever the pair become separated and allows the mother to stay contact with her calf. Hats off to dolphin moms and all moms today!

05/04/2026

Exciting news! On Friday May 15 and Saturday May 16, the Delmarva Shorebirds will take the field as the Delmarva Wild Ponies for the second year. The Shorebirds special Wild Ponies identity pays tribute to the Wild Ponies on Assateague Island and their impact on our local Delmarva community! Assateague Island Alliance (AIA) will be on hand to lend our support and have a booth to help to educate ballgame-goers about the island's most famous inhabitants. Additionally, AIA has acquired reduced price tickets! Help us pack the stadium as the "Ponies" take on the Fayetteville Woodpeckers! Tickets available here https://www.gofevo.com/group/DMVAIA2026

Friday, May 15th there will be a Wild Ponies Bobblehead giveaway sponsored by Delmarva Auto Glass (Giveaway is to first 1000 fans into Perdue Stadium, gates open at 6pm) and after the game on Saturday, May 16th we will launch fireworks high into the sky! Come out and enjoy an evening at the ball park celebrating the wild horses cultural impact on our area. Reduced rate tickets are available now!

04/22/2026

Bidding is open to give this filly a name! Naming rights for the Assateague foal, N2BHS-APW, will be given to the highest bidder in the Name That Foal fundraising eBay auction!

You can be the one to give this little filly a name. On or around June 1, 2025, this chestnut filly currently known as N2BHS-AIOX was born to dam N2BHS-AIO “Mieke's Noe'Lani". The probable sire is N9BFQ-GL "Mr Frisky Hooves". All are among the Maryland herd of horses living wild and free on the sands and shores of Assateague Island. This beautiful wild filly currently lives with her birth band in the Oversand Vehicle Zone (OSV) area of Assateague Island.

The highest bidder during this FIVE-day fundraising auction will have the rare opportunity to name a wild foal living on Assateague Island (Maryland district). Please read all naming protocols carefully before placing your bid! By participating in this auction you are agreeing to the terms of the naming policy.

You can access the auction, including the naming parameters here https://www.ebay.com/itm/327115543944

All proceeds support an upcoming project in partnership with Assateague Island National Seashore to construct platforms for showers and foot washing stations off of the existing beach crossing boardwalks in North Beach. The new design will not only address the increased visitor demand for limited facilities at the existing beach bathhouses but will also address the issue of water pooling and attracting horses in high visitor use locations. This will reduce the number of negative human and horse interactions by preventing horses from congregating around bathhouses looking for fresh water.

On or around June 1, 2025, this chestnut filly currently known as N2BHS-AIOX was born to dam N2BHS-AIO “Mieke's Noe'Lani". The probable sire is N9BFQ-GL "Mr Frisky Hooves". All are among the Maryland herd of horses living wild and free on the sands and shores of Assateague Island.

04/21/2026

It's time to give this filly a name! Naming rights for the Assateague foal, N2BHS-AIOX, will be given to the highest bidder in the Name That Foal fundraising eBay auction which begins TONIGHT, Tuesday 4/21/26 at 7pm ET!

You can be the one to give this little filly a name. On or around June 1, 2025, this chestnut filly currently known as N2BHS-AIOX was born to dam N2BHS-AIO “Mieke's Noe'Lani". The probable sire is N9BFQ-GL "Mr Frisky Hooves". All are among the Maryland herd of horses living wild and free on the sands and shores of Assateague Island. This beautiful wild filly currently lives with her birth band in the Oversand Vehicle Zone (OSV) area of Assateague Island National Seashore.

You can access the auction, including the naming parameters here, but not until this link goes live TONIGHT, Tuesday 4/21/26 at 7pm ET! https://www.ebay.com/itm/327115543944

All proceeds support an upcoming project in partnership with Assateague Island National Seashore to construct platforms for showers and foot washing stations off of the existing beach crossing boardwalks in North Beach. This will not only address the increased visitor demand for limited facilities at the existing beach bathhouses but will also address the issue of water pooling and attracting horses in high visitor use locations. This will reduce the number of negative human and horse interactions by preventing horses from congregating around bathhouses looking for fresh water. Thanks to AIA's generous donors, AIA has raised over $4,000 for the project so far! We continue to be amazed by your overwhelming support. Thank you!

04/17/2026

Thank you to everyone who took a chance to Name That Foal!

04/16/2026

Last day to get your raffle tickets to Name That Foal! This chestnut filly needs a name! Take a chance in the Name That Foal RAFFLE to win naming rights for this Assateague foal, currently known as N2BHS-APX, born on or around May 2, 2025 in the bayside campground of Assateague Island National Seashore. The dam is N2BHS-AP "Linda Rae's Autumn Glory" and the probable sire is N10T-JO "Assateague's Phoenix".

AIA is continuing with our efforts to raise funds to support an upcoming project in partnership with Assateague Island National Seashore to construct platforms for showers and foot washing stations off of the existing beach crossing boardwalks in North Beach. AIA's commitment is $67,000 WOW and thanks to our generous donors we have raised $8,500 toward this goal. The new design will not only address the increased visitor demand for limited facilities at the existing beach bathhouses but will also address the issue of water pooling and attracting horses in high visitor use locations. This will reduce the number of negative human and horse interactions by preventing horses from congregating around bathhouses looking for fresh water. All proceeds of each raffle ticket purchased goes toward this project!

With each raffle ticket purchase, one physical ticket is printed and added into the raffle box, if you purchase five e-tickets then we will enter five physical tickets into the box. The order confirmation emailed to you following your purchase serves as your receipt and ticket stub. No physical ticket stubs will be mailed. The winning ticket will be drawn on Friday April 17, 2026. All tickets must be purchased by 11:59pm ET April 16, 2026.

Participate in this raffle for the gift of a lifetime, the chance to name an Assateague foal living wild and free on Assateague Island!

Please review the naming protocols carefully before participating in the raffle. You can review them and get your tickets here https://assateagueislandalliance.org/collections/get-some-merch

Photo courtesy of Les Lattin