BERLIN – Have you ever been at Assateague Island and wanted to know more about the wild horse grazing beside your campsite? Or been eager to catch a glimpse of your favorite equine on your annual Assateague vacation?
Well you’re not the only one. Assateague Island Alliance’s Ashlie Kozlowski says she’s bombarded by requests for more information on the national seashore’s wild horses. In an effort to provide visitors with that information, Assateague Island Alliance (AIA) will be launching a free smartphone app that will help visitors identify the wild horses they see.
“Because everybody is so connected to their phones this seemed like a great way to connect with visitors and get information out about the horses,” Kozlowski said.
With the new app, all users will need to do is take a photo of the horse they’re looking at to get a detailed description of the animal. In some cases, if the photo alone isn’t enough to determine the animal’s identity, the app will ask the user a couple of other simple questions — does the horse’s mane fall on the left or right, for example — that will help prove the horse’s identity.
The app will be linked to AIA’s website so that each time a horse is identified through the app, users can upload their photo with a geo-tag so other users know when and where the animal was spotted. Kozlowski says this will provide visitors who have hopes of seeing a particular horse with some information on where the animal was recently seen. There are many people who look for their favorite horses each time they come to Assateague.
“I was surprised to learn how connected visitors are to these horses,” Kozlowski said.
The app’s visual recognition software will enable users to identify each of the park’s 89 wild horses. The app will also provide users with information on AIA’s foster horse program as well as tips on how to stay safe while admiring the wild horses. Kozlowski says AIA wants to make sure visitors know how important it is to not get too close to the horses.
“One thing we hope to do with the app is get information to visitors on safety,” she said.
While Kozlowski says the idea of a smartphone app to identify Assateague’s wild horses has been around for a while, there were several steps in the process. AIA, Assateague Island National Seashore’s friends group, had to get the park’s approval.
“We’ve had great support from [park superintendent] Debbie Darden,” Kozlowski said. “She really wants to see this project be successful.”
AIA also wanted to research the concept and make sure that an identification app would really work and find the right person to develop it.
“We had to find someone to build it with the vision that we have,” Kozlowski said.
With all that accomplished, the final step was funding. A $2,500 grant from the Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Area Council, paired with a $2,500 match from AIA, made the initial phase of the project possible. Kozlowski said the grant played a key role in moving the project forward.
“That showed us we had great community support,” she said.
Getting the app up and running, however, is expected to cost at least $10,000. Kozlowski’s group has set up a Go Fund Me page (search for Assateague Wild Horse ID App) to raise the remaining $5,000 needed. Donations can also be made via the group’s website, www.assateagueislandalliance.org.
“We’re doing everything we can to fundraise,” she said. “We’ll find the money somewhere.”
If the money is raised by March 1, Kozlowski says AIA should be able to launch the app in April.
