Comments for a Cause time again already? May flew by and with all of the rain that we have had in our area I am beginning to feel a bit mildewy. It has been a little ridiculous and we are definitely living up to our rainforest name. While I love the greenness of everything I am ready for a break.
So why don’t we talk about Comments for a Cause instead of the weather? This past month I shared that the Friends of Hunting Island in South Carolina had a great organization that was working to help preserve all kinds of wonderful habitats and help with educational endeavors. You can read that post by clicking here.
What a wonderful effort these volunteers make to help preserve and educate and Chris and I are thrilled to announce that due to your comments on It’s Just Life this month we will be making a donation of $182.50 to help support their efforts. Thank you so much for all of your comments and support.
One of my blogger friends, Dianna, who blogs at These Days of Mine has helped me to discover the new Comments for a Cause recipient for June. Please meet Dianna and her husband “Motor Man”. I have Mr. Diamond and she has “Motor Man”.
I am so excited to share it with you and am thrilled that she has helped me with pictures and information for this post. The Corolla Wild Horse Fund is a cause that is near and dear to her heart and now to mine as well. All the pictures in the post are courtesy of Dianna.
OUR MISSION
To protect, conserve, and responsibly manage the herd of wild Colonial Spanish Mustangs roaming freely on the northernmost Currituck Outer Banks, and to promote the continued preservation of this land as a permanent sanctuary for horses designated as the State Horse and defined as a cultural treasure by the state of North Carolina.
What a wonderful organization and what wonderful work they do. Who doesn’t want to support an organization that helps to protect and preserve wild horses? Their website is full of photos and information and I think that they present such a wonderful opportunity for folks who are real animal lovers to make a difference.
Photo by Dianna McGuriman Keen was featured in the CWHF 2015 calendar.
The organization came into existence to help prevent more deaths of the wild horses by cars. Now I would not have even thought that that would have happened but between 1985 and 1996, twenty horses were killed by vehicles on the stretch of road between Duck and Corolla. This stretch of road had been unpaved and was not an issue but with increased traffic and tourism the area saw much more traffic and as a result the horses suffered. The organization worked to relocate the horses north of the paved road and build a Sound to Sea fence to help keep them corralled in that safer area. They have 4 full time staff, do massive educational and outreach efforts and help to maintain the health of the herd while maintaining the least disruption to the wild horses. Currently there are between 75 – 100 horses in the herd.
Photo by Dianna McGuriman Keen
I asked Dianna to share a few thoughts about the horses and the Corolla Wild Horse Fund with me as well as some of her spectacular photography and she graciously shared some of her own thoughts and all of the amazing photographs in this post. Thank you, Dianna, for your generosity and enthusiasm. Now to the questions I asked:
1. How did you first hear about the Corolla Wild Horse Fund and get involved?I’m embarrassed to admit that I cannot remember how I learned about the CWHF! I know in 2012, for my birthday, we took a wild horse tour given by that organization. There are many commercial horse tours in that area, but ALL the proceeds from the tours given by the CWHF go directly toward care of the horses. Later, we bought a Jeep and began taking our own trips to the beach2. What is your favorite thing about seeing the wild horses? In other words –what makes you smile the biggest?Probably my favorite thing is to see the horses down by the ocean. Oftentimes, they’re on the opposite side of the dunes, and I still love seeing them. But the ocean makes for a beautiful backdrop, especially at sunrise. It’s also fun to get to see a new foal with its mom!3. When you and Motor Man go to visit the horses what is your goal? To see a certain number? To just see them? To photograph them?Although Motor Man and I go to the beach specifically to look for the horses, we always enjoy our time there whether we see them or not. During the winter, we may go and not see any horses at all. In the summer, we’ve seen upwards of 70 in one trip, which is nearly the entire herd. And, depending on the setting, I usually take a picture of each one we see. Every time.4. If you could tell my readers one thing about the horses that they might not know what would it be?Oh, I don’t know that I can stop at just one thing….. it’s an ordinance that humans keep a distance of at least 50 feet from the horses (since they are wild). The horses stomachs have adapted to their surroundings and they’re able to survive on the sea oats and foliage in the area. The food you would give a domestic horse could be fatal to them. There are canals in the area which provide them fresh (brackish) water. The CWHF keeps a watchful eye on the herd, but doesn’t interfere unless absolutely necessary, such as when a horse is sick or injured. Just last week, they had to remove a colt just a few days old because he was attacked by a stallion (not his sire). In those circumstances, the horse is taken to their rescue facility, where it will either remain or be adopted.
Photo by Dianna McGuriman Keen. This photo was featured in the 2016 edition of the CWHF calendar.
These Days of Mine blog by Dianna
Corolla Wild Horse Fund Incorporated
