Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge

Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge is located near the mouth of Discovery Bay in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Jefferson County, Washington. Approximately 70 percent of the nesting seabird population of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca nest on the island, which includes one of the largest nesting colonies of rhinoceros auklets in the world and the largest nesting colony of glaucous-winged gulls in Washington. The island contains one of the last two nesting colonies of tufted puffins in the Puget Sound area. About 1,000 harbor seals depend upon the island for a pupping and rest area.[4]

Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Hillside of rhinoceros auklet burrows,
Protection Island
LocationJefferson County, Washington, United States
Nearest cityPort Townsend, Washington
Coordinates48°07′40″N 122°55′35″W[1]
Area659.31 acres (266.81 ha)[2]
Established1982 (1982)[3]
Governing bodyU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
WebsiteProtection Island National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge is closed to visitation to protect the fragile habitat. Visitors may view the island by boat; a 200-yard off-shore buffer is enforced to ensure adult birds are not flushed from their nests.[3]

The waters surrounding the North Olympic Peninsula support five additional refuges: Flattery Rocks, Quillayute Needles, Copalis, Dungeness, and San Juan Islands. Protection Island is managed as part of the Washington Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

  1. "Protection Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. "Annual Report of Lands as of September 30, 2013" (PDF). United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
  3. "About the Refuge". Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
  4. "Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge Profile". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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