Park ranger guided hike at Assateague Island
BERLIN, Md. – Just like our own lives, the Island of Assateague is always changing, and many local residents and visitors turned out for the park ranger-guided hike Monday at Assateague State Park.
“I love to think about what it was like before us modern humans were here.”
Hikers shared fond memories from their childhood and with their families, but they also wonder what Assateague was like before their time.
Park Guide for Assateague Nichole Leiby was able to give a tour of the history and future of Assateague island to kick off the new year.
“We have habitats moving and changing all the time.”
“Can you see all of those big trees? (They are dead) Thank you Reaver! They are dead.”
“So, this is what we call a ghost forest.”
A “ghost forest” may not be a good thing with the island losing some of its living trees, it does help give the native birds of the ecosystem a safe place to live and build their nest.
Leiby also says that the island has a plant that was used to make a tasty modern day treat you can find in your local grocery store.
“A big white or pink flower that’s bigger than my hand is called a Marshmallow,” Leiby said “The native Americans used its roots.”
“They would boil it down and it would get a sticky white substance, which is basically where our current day marshmallows come from.”
She says that the island is thousands of years old, and as years pass, the Island slowly rotates and moves as the waves and ocean constantly crash into it.
“I mentioned the waves earlier, you can hear the waves.”
“Sometimes when you are walking on the beach, you can find… oyster shells.”
These oyster shells are proof that the island is thousands of years old. Many hikers left the trail learning new facts they never knew about the Island of Assategaue.
“Its always changing and evolving and always moving,” and both the park rangers and people who come to visit have a love that will always remain for the national park.
One walker said, “It’s the world’s best kept secret, we think.”
Park Guide Leiby said, “I really want people who visit to love it as much as I do.”
