Cape Lookout National Seashore officials are setting up a "Pony Patrol" to educate visitors/Kurt Repanshek file

Cape Lookout National Seashore, the N.C. Coastal Reserve, National Estuarine Research Reserve, and the Foundation for Shackleford Horses, Inc., are partnering to create a volunteer opportunity, known as the ‘Pony Patrol,’ to raise community awareness, protect wild horses, and help increase visitor compliance with regards to wild horse rules and guidelines at Shackleford Banks and Rachel Carson Reserve. 

Prospective Pony Patrol volunteers will work four-hour shifts, walking Rachel Carson Reserve and Shackleford Banks beaches, talking with visitors about how to best experience the beauty and natural behavior of the horses. Pony Patrol volunteers will receive a one-day training in effectively communicating with park visitors; in understanding the importance of giving wild horses space to be ‘wild’; and in the knowledge and skills to protect both the visitors’ safety and the wild horses’ welfare, so that, ultimately, they can answer basic questions about the horses and their natural-barrier island homes. 

Candidates must be at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen/permanent resident and be physically able to walk the beach in a dynamic setting, consisting of sandy terrain, extreme sun, heat, humidity, wind, and buggy environments. Pony Patrol volunteers will be expected to work four-hour shifts, at least four times per month. 

Interested candidates should apply on-line at: https://tinyurl.com/PonyPatrol. 

The application period runs through January 10. Selected candidates will be contacted for an interview in mid-January. For more information on the Pony Patrol, and Cape Lookout National Seashore, go to: https://go.nps.gov/ponypatrol, For more information on Rachel Carson Reserve, go to: www.nccoastalreserve.net. For more information on the Foundation for Shackleford Horses, go to: www.shackleford-horses.org.