November 22, 2013 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch Page 31 Online Auction Planned To Determine New Foal’s Name Regional Digest FROM PAGE 30 pack boxes can arrive at Mountaire’s Selbyville warehouse at 8:30 a.m. on Monday. The company is still accepting monetary donations as well. Donations can be sent to Mountaire, attention Thanksgiving for Thousands, 29106 John J. Williams Hwy., Millsboro, Del. 19966. Dew Tour Recognized OCEAN CITY – The Maryland Office of Tourism Development (OTD) recently announced their annual awards at the Maryland Tourism & Travel Summit, naming the Ocean City Dew Tour as an Economic Engine winner. The 2013 Ocean City Dew Tour was held June 20-23, marking the third year in a row the international action sports competition showcased the beauty and appeal of Ocean City and the state of Maryland to the world. It is estimated the Dew Tour has brought in approximately $11.5 million in economic impact to Ocean City and the state, drawing an estimated 103,000 attendees this year alone. “I am thrilled that the Maryland Office of Tourism Development has awarded the Ocean City Dew Tour as an Economic Engine winner,” said Ocean City Tourism Director Donna Abbott this week. “The Ocean City Department of Tourism works closely with Alli Sports to promote the event. Not only does Ocean City’s event have the highest attendance in the Dew Tour’s history, but the event is also nationally broadcast, which adds to the exposure.” Above left, this mare’s new name is Bailey, given to her by a 12-year-old Connecticut girl. Above right, naming rights for the foal in the picture will be auctioned online beginning next month. Submitted Photos By SHAWN J. SOPER NEWS EDITOR ASSATEAGUE – One wild pony on Assateague has a new name and another foal born just last spring soon will with an online auction for naming rights set for 10 days in December. The Assateague Island Alliance this week announced N9BFQX will now be called “Bailey” after a 12year-old Connecticut girl was chosen randomly to attach a new, less formal moniker to the chestnut mare through the AIA’s Name That Horse contest. The mare’s current designation is taken from an alpha-numeric system put in place by the National Park Service in the mid-1970s to track the lineage and ancestry of the wild horses and identify which subherd they belong to and the areas they frequent on the island. Unsuspecting Binderiya Unter was visiting the Assateague Island Visitor Center with her classmates from Ellicott City when she was selected randomly to choose a winner from over 200 entries in the AIA Name That Horse contest. Unter then chose Emma Sawch, 12, of Stamford, Conn., who, in turn nam- ed the horse formally known only as N9BFQX as Bailey, which is now the newest addition to the AIA Foster Horse program. The next opportunity to leave a lasting legacy with the wild horses on Assateague is the AIA’s charitable eBay auction for the naming rights of the only foal born in the Maryland herd in 2013. The new foal, identified currently as N9BFQ-GL, was birthed by Harmony in a remote part of the island far from the developed north end in May and needs a common, less formal name. Open bidding for the Name That Foal charitable naming rights auction will be held from Dec. 6-16. The highest bidder during the 10-day auction will earn naming rights for N9BQF-GL. The eBay seller is AIA2009 and the starting bid is $300. All proceeds are tax-deductible and will benefit the AIA, the friends group of the Assateague Island National Seashore. While in some years multiple foal-naming auctions are held, the foal up for bid in December will be the only one whose naming rights will be auctioned this year. The island’s wild pony population now stands at around 115, a figure considerably lower than a decade ago, but still far from the target range of 80 to 100. While three to five foals are added to the herd in a typical year, an in-kind number drop off due to old age, illness or other natural or manmade factors. The mortality rate is around three to five percent, meaning three to five out of 100 are lost each year to attrition, which corresponds to the three to five new foals birthed each year. In the interest of managing the size of the herd, which, if left unchecked would overtake the barrier island and gobble up the very resources the wild ponies need to survive, the National Park Service several years ago began a contraceptive program for the mares in the herd. The mares are injected with a non-invasive contraceptive to prevent multiple births in an effort to maintain and ultimately shrink the size of the herd to its manageable threshold. In the interest of maintaining the gene pool of the famous wild ponies, believed to be descendants of domesticated horses placed on the island 300 years ago, each mare is allowed to birth one foal before being put on the contraceptive program. Rain Barrel Workshops Planned For Saturday SALISBURY – Those interested in doing their part to restore the health of the Wicomico River are encouraged to come out to a “Stormwater in Your Backyard” workshop tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 23, for a presentation on fertilizer laws and a chance to win a rain barrel. Attendees will learn about environmentally friendly lawn care and how to filter water running from their properties. Rain barrels, for example, aid in reducing the amount of pollutants running off from properties and reduce flooding. Workshop attendees will have a chance to receive a free rain barrel, which have been funded through the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Community Engagement and Restoration minigrant. The workshops will be held at Farmers and Planters Co. on Mill Street in Salisbury on Saturday. There will be two opportunities to attend, including a 10 a.m. workshop and a noon workshop. For more information, contact JaLeesa Tate at 410548-4860. Four-Year Sentence For Resort Stabbing By SHAWN J. SOPER NEWS EDITOR SNOW HILL – A Snow Hill man, arrested last April on assault charges after stabbing another man twice in the abdomen during an altercation outside a downtown Ocean City convenience store, was found guilty of second-degree assault last week in Worcester County Circuit Court and was sentenced to 10 years in jail, all but four of which were then suspended. Last April 11, Ocean City Police responded to a reported fight at the 7-Eleven convenience store on Coastal Highway at 26th Street. When officers arrived, the fight had already broken up and those involved had left the area. One of the combatants was stab- bed twice in the abdomen during the altercation, but did not realize the severity of his injuries until he returned to his north Ocean City residence. About a half an hour later, OCPD officers received a complaint about a stabbing and met with a victim at a residence on 146th Street. While talking with the victim, OCPD officers learned he had been involved in the altercation at 7-11 earlier during which he had been stabbed twice. The victim also received a head wound during the fight and was treated at the scene by Ocean City EMS before being transported to PRMC. The victim ultimately recovered from the stabbings and other injuries, but not before spending a week in the hospital and undergoing surgery. During the investigation, OCPD detectives identified the suspect as Brandon Maurice Hudson, 24, of Snow Hill. Investigators obtained information about Hudson’s possible whereabouts and he was located the following day in Berlin. Hudson was arrested and charged with firstand second-degree assault and possession of a deadly weapon with intent to injure. In Worcester County Circuit Court last week, Hudson entered an Alford plea to second-degree assault. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not plead guilty, but acknowledges the state has enough evidence to prosecute the case. Hudson was sentenced to 10 years, the maximum available for second-degree assault, however, all but four years of the sentence were then suspended. He was also placed on supervised probation for three years following his release.