Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge
Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge is a 2.5 square kilometer nature reserve in Clallam County on the north coast of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state . In addition to a part of the cliff, it mainly includes an almost 10 km long and in places only 15 meters wide headland that protrudes into the Juan de Fuca Strait .
history
In 1792, the explorer George Vancouver named the headland New Dungeness after the coastal region of the same name in Kent in Great Britain .
In 1857 the Dungeness Lighthouse was built at the tip of the headland as the first lighthouse on Juan de Fuca Street. The lighthouse that exists today was built in 1895, but reduced in size to 19 meters in 1927. It has been automated since 1994.
The National Wildlife Refuge was founded in 1915 by President Woodrow Wilson to protect native bird life.
geology
The headland is a natural embankment of gravel and sand and its structure is similar to the spit of the Baltic Sea. The sea between the headland and the mainland falls dry at low tide.
fauna
The reserve is the habitat for more than 250 species of birds and 41 different mammals. Aquatic birds, shorebirds, shellfish and seals live in the bay and estuary of the Dungeness River. In autumn and spring, the sanctuary is a stopover for numerous species of migratory birds on their way south and back north. From the end of October to the beginning of May, the nature reserve is winter quarters for up to 5,000 Pacific brent geese .
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 10 '56 " N , 123 ° 6' 32.4" W.