Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials are in the early stages of designing a horse-management plan for the herd under its care on Ocracoke Island.
A public meeting to gather input ahead of the plan’s development is scheduled for 1-2 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, at the Ocracoke Community Center, 999 Irvin Garrish Highway. If the ferry isn’t running due to inclement weather or road conditions, the meeting will be rescheduled.
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“In light of sea level rise effects and in consideration of National Park Service management policies, the Seashore is preparing to develop a management plan for the Ocracoke horses and seeks assistance in identifying issues, concerns and opportunities,” park officials said.
For those unable to attend the May 21 engagement meeting, they can send their ideas to caha_public_affairs@nps.gov. The formal portion of the horse management planning will begin in the coming months and will include an official public comment period as part of the process, a seashore representative told Coastal Review.
Horses have been documented on Ocracoke since the first European settlers began inhabiting the barrier island in 1730s. The once free-roaming animals were corralled in 1959 to prevent over-grazing and to protect them from traffic after the highway was built in 1957. The herd has been cared for by the National Park Service since the early 1960s.
An information review was published in March that includes a brief history and analysis of horses in North America, on the East Coast, and those under the care of the Park Service, as well as a summary of laws, regulations and policies relevant to horses in the park.
Officials note on the website explaining the purpose of the information review that the last foal was born in 2018 and there are no plans to expand the herd, which is within the range of its historical size of nine to 20 horses.
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The proposed management plan is to ensure the short- and long-term welfare of the existing herd, including goals for the size of the herd while taking into consideration management challenges and opportunities within the seashore on Ocracoke Island.
Once a range of ideas are received and refined through the preliminary public meeting, officials expect to move to the next phase to include formal public meetings associated with the environmental review process.
Updates are to be posted at http://go.nps.gov/ocracokeponies.
