If global warming leads to a melting of the polar icecaps and a rise in sea levels, it looks like the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is toast. According to a report issued by the Defenders of Wildlife, Chincoteague ranks among the ten most endangered national wildlife refuges in the United States. States the report:
Chincoteague NWR is one of the top five resting and feeding spots for migratory birds east of the Rocky Mountains. It is part of the United Nations’ World Biosphere Preserve network and is designated an International Shorebird Reserve. More than 300 species of birds, a variety of turtles, otters, muskrats, deer and endangered Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrels and piping plovers make their home on the refuge.
And let us not forget the wild ponies!
I’m not convinced that the alarmist global warming scenarios will play out, but the prospect of having Chincoteague inundated does have a way of concentrating the mind.
(Photo credit: Il Porto del Cavallo.)
