Assateague ponies to appear on commemorative postage stamp

A familiar scene on Assateague Island National Seashore will appear on a United States Postal Service stamp this summer.

In a prepared release sent to media outlets Wednesday, the Postal Service announced a photograph of two wild ponies grazing in the saltwater marsh will be used to create a Forever Stamp image.

It will be revealed June 2 and is one of 16 Forever Stamp images to commemorate the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary. Other images will include scenes from Acadia National Park in Maine and Arches National Park in Utah.

Tim Fitzharris of Fayetteville, Arkansas, shot the photograph of the pair of ponies that will be used for the Forever Stamp image. The news release did not state whether the photo was taken in Maryland or Virginia.

Assateague is a 37-mile long barrier island that lies off the Delmarva Peninsula. The Assateague Island National Seashore, Assateague State Park and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge manage the island that is inhabited by two herds of wild ponies.

The Maryland herd freely roams in part of the national seashore, while the Virginia herd roams in a large fenced area in the Chincoteague refuge.

For more information about the Assateague Island National Seashore, visit www.nps.gov/asis/index.htm.

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