Assateague Island sits just off the east coast of the central Delmarva Peninsula. It is bordered in the east by the Atlantic Ocean and Chincoteague Bay is to the west. The island is in both Maryland and Virginia, but it is nominally managed by the the National Park Service, since the Assateague National Seashore dominates most of the land mass.

The coastline is a tourist mecca offering beaches, lighthouses, historic sites and, of all things, wild horses…