SEQUIM — The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge will host a winter bird walk Saturday as part of a yearlong celebration of its centennial.
The free walk through the refuge from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. will be led by a naturalist from the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society.
Participants will meet at the refuge information kiosk/entrance station at the north end of Voice of America Road.
No RSVP is required. Participants are asked to wear sturdy shoes and bring binoculars or spotting scopes.
The refuge was established in 1915. On Jan. 20 of that year, President Woodrow Wilson signed Executive Order 2123, which created the Dungeness Spit Reservation “as a refuge, preserve and breeding ground for native birds.”
Winter home
Since then, the refuge’s protected cove has provided a winter home and feeding ground for the Brant goose and year-round habitat for marine mammals, a nursery for fish and Dungeness crab, and is a part of the Pacific Flyway, a vital stop for migrating birds on their trips between their southern winter homes and their northern breeding grounds.
The yearlong celebration began Jan. 17 with a party hosted by the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe at Red Cedar Hall, 1033 Old Blyn Highway in Blyn.
Additional events
Additional free events celebrating the refuge’s first 100 years will be held one Saturday each month through November, except October.
Here is a schedule:
■ March 14, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. — Presentation on the New Dungeness Light Station by a member of the New Dungeness Light Station Association at Olympic Unitarian Universalist Church, 73 Howe Road.
■ April 18, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. — Spring bird walk led by 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.
■ 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 in the two walks 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, visit www.dungeness100.com or phone the refuge office at 360-457-8451.
Visitors to the refuge are welcome from sunrise to a half-hour before sunset daily.
The entrance fee is $3 per family or group with up to four adults. Children younger than 16 are admitted free.
