Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge, Nature reserve in Jefferson County, United States
Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge is a 379-acre nature reserve in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, featuring sandy bluffs, grasslands, and coastal areas. The land provides habitat for a wide variety of seabirds and marine mammals that use the island's diverse landscape zones.
Spanish explorers first named the island Isla de Carrasco in 1790, until George Vancouver renamed it Protection Island in 1792. This change reflects early European exploration of the Pacific Northwest coast and how geographic names shifted through successive expeditions.
The island hosts one of the largest nesting colonies of glaucous-winged gulls in Washington and serves as a critical breeding ground for seabirds across the region. This role makes it a meaningful location for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts who observe these communities from a distance.
The island is not open to the public, but visitors can observe wildlife from the water during organized boat tours that maintain a safe distance from the shore. Viewing from a boat is the best and only way to see the island and its inhabitants from an appropriate distance.
The island serves as a critical pupping site for harbor seals, with thousands of these marine mammals using it simultaneously for rest and reproduction. This role makes it one of the most important breeding grounds for the species in the entire region.
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