Introducing our New Donor Recognition Program - See Sponsor Levels and Gifts at the bottom of this page!
Your generous contributions are needed to help maintain our pristine natural resources of Assateague Island National Seashore; the valuable landscape, dynamic ecosystems and the precious inhabitants, for this and future generations.
All funds raised by Assateague Island Alliance directly benefit Assateague Island National Seashore and support our mission to promote the awareness, education, and protection of Assateague Island National Seashore's cultural and natural resources for the enjoyment of current and future generations.
Funds generated through AIA have benefitted Assateague’s wildlife and visitors in recent years. In 2019, proper food storage solutions took center stage. Along with a grant from the Maryland Heritage Area Authority, AIA raised $100,000 to support replacing all 222 picnic tables in the National Seashore with wildlife proof food storage containers. We also purchased reusable cooler straps to distribute to day-use visitors. In 2020, despite the challenges of the pandemic, donations from our generous supporters allowed AIA to refurbish two golf carts and provide stipends and safety equipment for two Wild Horse Management Interns who educated the public on the importance of maintaining a safe distance from the horses and managed wild horses and visitor interactions.
In 2021, the AIA expanded its focus to include other areas of park management with the addition of funding one Avian Monitoring intern while continuing efforts to educate visitors to Assateague Island parks about the importance of proper food storage and maintaining a safe distance to keep themselves and the horses safe. As the pandemic continued to influence visitation, Assateague Island National Seashore saw record numbers of visitors. AIA provided $7,125.00 to fund one Avian Monitoring Intern and two Wild Horse Management interns. AIA provided $3,705.00 to fund golf cart repairs and a new golf cart for Pony Patrol volunteers. During another challenging year it was imperative to provide interns to assist park management strategies and to have a presence on the island where humans and horses share space and provide educational messages to keep interactions safe. Thanks to your support, especially during these prolonged unprecedented times, AIA continues to offer the following ongoing programs and initiatives:
- Provide educational programming such as health and wellness such as Beach Yoga and Full Moon Yoga, artist workshops and Artist if Residency program, lifelong learning and citizen science events and opportunities
- Organize volunteer work groups
- Manage outreach programs such as the popular Foster Horse Program
- Preserve wildlife and their habitat through direct support of innovative research and education
- Conduct charitable fundraisers including the rare opportunity to name one of the wild horses of Assateague
- Ensure that Assateague is protected for future generations to come
We have BIG plans for the future and hope to announce the project soon.
NEW Supporter Levels and Corresponding Gifts
$100 – Sandcastle Supporter –Gift includes a 2" sandcastle color enamel hat pin
$250 - Assateague Horse Supporter - Gifts include those from previous level, embroidered twill hat with the AIA logo on the front and "Assateague I've Got Your Back" on the back (choose color: mustard, columbia blue, or charcoal), and 2" enamel pin of N9BNZ "Charcoal". Start your collection with Charcoal, a new horse will be featured each year!
$500 - Red Fox Supporter - Gifts include those from previous levels plus a 2" enamel pin of a Red Fox in the dunes.
$1,000 - Snowy Owl Supporter - Gifts include those from previous levels plus a 2" enamel pin of the elusive Snowy Owl.
$1,500 - Assateague Island Supporter - Gifts include those from previous levels plus a 2" bronze relief pin of a horse, fox, snowy owl, and piping plover in a collectible wooden presentation box.
We'd like to thank Karen Lockard and Earl Blansfield for offering their images for the creation of the pins.
General Donation
Make a General Donation to help to fund various programs and initiatives throughout the park.
Leave a legacy for a loved one through a Memorial Donation. Please leave your loved one’s name or a message during checkout in the Message to Seller field.
Support our Transportation Scholarship Fund to help school groups participate in free world-class interpretive programming found only at Assateague Island National Seashore.
You can Support AIA Indirectly through Amazon Smile
Do you shop on Amazon? Assateague Island Alliance (AIA) participates in the AMAZON SMILE program. Every time you purchase an item from Amazon, they donate 0.5% of the price of the eligible purchases to AIA. Go to smile.amazon.com and type in Assateague Island Alliance to sign up. Share with your friends so that they, too, can support AIA easily. Amazon keeps you aware of how much you have generated to support your charity on your personal dashboard.