PORT ANGELES — The audience can hear details of the history of the 158-year-old New Dungeness Lighthouse at a presentation Saturday, March 14.
The free presentation from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Olympic Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 73 Howe Road in the Agnew area is one in a series of events throughout 2015 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge.
A member of the New Dungeness Light Station Association will give the presentation.
The lighthouse at the New Dungeness Light Station, which is at the tip of the 5½ mile long Dungeness Spit near Sequim, was the first U.S. lighthouse completed on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, according to the association.
It has operated continuously since its lard oil lamp was lit for the first time on Dec. 14, 1857.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge was established as the Dungeness Spit Reservation on Jan. 20, 1915 “as a refuge, preserve and breeding ground for native birds.”
It provides a winter home and feeding ground for Brant geese, year-round habitat for marine mammals, a nursery for fish and Dungeness crab, and is a part of the Pacific Flyway for migrating birds.
The spit is one of the longest natural sand spits in North America.
Visitors to the refuge are welcome from sunrise to a half-hour before sunset daily.
The entrance fee is $3 per family or per group with up to four adults. Children younger than 16 are admitted free.
The entrance to the refuge is at 554 Voice of America Road.
Other activities set to celebrate the refuge’s centennial are:
■ April 18, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. — Spring bird walk led by Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society members. Participants will meet in the parking area.
■ May 16, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. — Presentation by the Coastal Watershed Institute at the Dungeness River Audubon Center, 2151 W. Hendrickson Road, Sequim.
■ June 20, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Kids’ Day at the refuge, with hands-on activities at the visitor center.
■ July 18, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. — Geology walks to examine the geological history of the area. Participants will meet in the parking area.
■ Aug. 15 — Shorebird walk led by Audubon Society members. Time to be announced. It will depend on the tides.
■ Sept. 25-26 — Celebration of 100 years with the Dungeness River Bridge and Klahhane Hike Club as part of the annual River Festival at the Dungeness River Audubon Center.
■ Nov. 21, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. — Migrating waterfowl walk on the refuge led by Audubon Society members. Participants will meet in the parking area.
For more information, go to www.dungeness100.com or phone the refuge office at 360-457-8451.
