Willapa National Wildlife Refuge

46.441666666667 - 123.96666666667Koordinaten: 46 ° 26 '30 " N, 123 ° 58 ' 0 " W

Willapa National Wildlife Refuge is about 60 square kilometers of protected area in the southwest of the U.S. state of Washington. It lies on the Willapa Bay, one of the most pristine estuaries in the United States. The Willapa Bay is 673 square kilometers of water area is the second largest estuary on the Pacific coast of the United States. The reserve is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and protects many species of wildlife. Above all, it provides a habitat for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds and waterfowl, including such endangered species as the Marmelalk and the snowy plover.

Geography

The Willapa Wildlife Refuge includes the island of Long Iceland, coastal and water areas at the southern end of the Bay Willpa and Leadbetter Point called northern tip of the Long Beach Peninsula. Long Iceland is a unique, 22 -square-mile island in the Willapa Bay and the largest island in an estuary on the Pacific coast of the United States. The reserve is divided into four sections (English Units ) divided, the Reikkola Unit, Leadbetter Unit, Porter Point Unit and Long Iceland.

History

The trunks of the Chinook, Chehalis, and Kwalhioqua lived and hunted in the area for at least 2,000 years. The wild and diverse marine animals, especially salmon, fed the people throughout the year. Today, First Nations use the island Long Iceland for spiritual and cultural festivals. Explorer John Meares named 1788 the northern tip of the Long Beach Peninsula Low Point. In 1852 it was renamed in honor of Danville Leadbetter, an officer of the U.S. Küstenvermesung in Leadbetter Point. In 1900 was begun on Long Iceland with logging. In 1937, the sanctuary was built, were destroyed in a time when other estuaries in the United States by diking, drainage and pollution.

Flora and Fauna

The Willapa Wildlife Refuge preserves a number of unique ecosystems such as salt marshes, tidal pools, wet meadows, coastal rain forest and sand dunes from destruction. The sandbars in the bay can accommodate seals and serve as resting places for migratory birds. In summer and autumn brown pelicans come into the bay. Among the important animal species include endangered next to the Marmelalk and the Kentish plover bald eagle, wild geese and blue herons. In the forests black bears, elk, bobcats, Fleckenkäuze, flying squirrels, tree frogs and silver hair bats live. Willapa Bay has a higher diversity in amphibians than any other Wildlife Refuge in Washington State.

Among the resident salamander species include the giant cross- tooth pig Dicamptodon tenebrosus, the Olympus transverse tooth Newt, Eschscholtz salamanders, Dunns lung Loser Salamander, Van Dykes Salamander and Western Rufous salamander. Some endangered species of turtles such as the loggerhead turtle, the green turtle and the leatherback turtle have a safe haven here.

Leadbetter Point is at the northern tip of the Long Beach Peninsula from the ever-changing sand dunes where beach grass, lupine, wild strawberries and verbena grow. Through the winter rains occur freshwater ponds, where willows and other freshwater plants. Next in the interior of the peninsula is growing lights pine forest. The dunes and salt marshes of Leadbetter Point offer food and thus habitat for 100 species of birds alone. Just south of the Wildlife Refuge borders the Leadbetter Point State Park.

Long Iceland has a 110 -acre Cedar Grove -called coastal rain forest with 900 year old giant trees of life. The island, with its rich vegetation provides habitat for a variety of animals such as black bear, elk, mule deer, beaver and river otter. The trees are nesting sites for Marmelalk, bald eagles and blue herons. Dead trees provide nesting sites for helmet woodpeckers, flying squirrels and spotted owl. In fallen trees rare salamander species. The nutrient- rich underwater world around Long Iceland is home to oysters, crab, salmon and rainbow trout, and many other marine animals. The extensive seagrass stocks in the west of Long Iceland are a nursery for juveniles of herring and salmon to the Pacific. The grasslands of Riekkola Unit at the south end of the bay provides space for numerous birds such as Canada geese, ducks and other shorebirds. In spring, the meadows are inhabited by songbirds. In the neighboring woods, bobcats, elk, and black bears. The Porter Point Unit contains freshwater marshes, where amphibians, waterfowl and other animals live.

Tourism

At the south end of Willapa Bay, lies the Refuge Headquarters, conveys the information about the flora and fauna of the protected area. In Wildlife Refuge itself there are several trails and primitive campsites. Also, it is accessible by boat. Even fishing and hunting licenses can be purchased for certain areas.