Washington Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Complex is an administrative grouping of sixNational Wildlife Refuges inWashington, managed by theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service. It includes:
Flattery Rocks, Quillayute Needles, and Copalis are a group of 870islands, rocks, andreefs extending for more than 100 miles alongWashington's coast fromCape Flattery toCopalis Beach. These islands are protected from human disturbance, yet are close to abundant ocean food sources.[2] They make up theWashington Islands Wilderness[3] and are closed to the public, with wildlife observation only from boats and the mainland, and a 200-yard buffer zone surrounds each island.[4] OnlyTatoosh Island,James Island, and Destruction Island are not included in thewilderness area, which was established in 1970.[5] The wilderness has a total land area of 1.8 square kilometres (0.69 sq mi) covering over 780 square kilometres (300 sq mi) of ocean.
More than a million seabirds,waterfowl, andshorebirds may live on the islands during migration season. Breeding colonies of 14 species ofseabirds use these rocks to raise their young. Mammals that live near the islands includesea lions,harbor seals,sea otters, andwhales.[3]
These three lie within the boundary ofOlympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Along with nearbyOlympic National Park the three agencies cooperate on research programs and other issues that may have impacts on the resources.[6]
The refuges were originally created as Flattery Rocks Reservation, Quillayute Needles Reservation, and Copalis Rock Reservation on October 23, 1907, by executive orders fromTheodore Roosevelt. They were renamed by a presidential proclamation on July 25, 1940.[7] Flattery Rocks encompasses the islands off the Washington coast between latitudes 48° 02′ North and 48° 23′ North,[8] Quillayute Needles those between latitudes 47° 38′ North, and 48° 02′ North,[9] and Copalis those between latitudes 47° 08′ North, and 47° 29′ North.[10]James Island was removed from Quillayute Needles in 1966 and returned to the Quileute when the island was discovered to be part of theQuileute Indian Reservation.[11]
| Climate data for Washington Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Complex | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 47 (8) | 47 (8) | 49 (9) | 51 (11) | 55 (13) | 58 (14) | 60 (16) | 61 (16) | 60 (16) | 55 (13) | 51 (11) | 47 (8) | 53 (12) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 40 (4) | 39 (4) | 41 (5) | 43 (6) | 47 (8) | 50 (10) | 53 (12) | 53 (12) | 51 (11) | 47 (8) | 43 (6) | 40 (4) | 46 (8) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 15.1 (380) | 9.5 (240) | 10.6 (270) | 7.3 (190) | 3.6 (91) | 2.8 (71) | 1.7 (43) | 2.3 (58) | 3.6 (91) | 10.1 (260) | 14.5 (370) | 13.6 (350) | 94.7 (2,414) |
| Source: U.S.Prism[12] | |||||||||||||
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
48°10′N124°44′W / 48.17°N 124.73°W /48.17; -124.73[1]47°49′N124°30′W / 47.81°N 124.50°W /47.81; -124.5047°24′N124°20′W / 47.40°N 124.33°W /47.40; -124.33[2]
