SEQUIM — The Coastal Watershed Institute’s executive director will tell of the forces that created and maintain the Dungeness Spit during a presentation Saturday, May 16.
Anne Shaffer, who is also a marine biologist, will present information on the Dungeness drift cell when she speaks from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Dungeness River Audubon Center at Railroad Bridge Park, 2151 W. Hendrickson Road.
The free lecture, which is open to the public, is among those sponsored by the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge as it celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
The Dungeness Spit, the longest natural sand spit in the nation, shelters the area of the refuge.
The Spit protects tideflats for migrating shorebirds and creates a quiet bay for wintering waterfowl.
What are they?
The Dungeness bluffs, an approximately 7-mile-long stretch of shoreline extending west from the refuge, provide sediments that feed the Dungeness Spit.
The sediments created the 5-mile sand spit and add some 15 feet to it annually, according to the state Department of Ecology.
Shaffer’s talk will provide a general overview of the unique features and function of the Dungeness bluffs and spit, including linkages to Dungeness Bay and coastal seas.
She will discuss how such resources can be protected.
Shaffer has studied Northwest nearshore systems, including the Dungeness drift cell, for 30 years.
A doctoral candidate at the University of Victoria, her work about the functions of nearshore marine systems on the North Olympic Peninsula has been widely published.
The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge was established as the Dungeness Spit Reservation on Jan. 20, 1915.
Other refuge events
Additional events celebrating the refuge’s anniversary are:
■ 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 refuge parking area.
■ Aug. 15 — Shorebird walk led by Audubon society members. The time will depend upon tides and be announced later.
■ Sept. 8 — Paint the Peninsula.
■ 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 river 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.
The refuge between Sequim and Port Angeles, which is operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is open daily from 7 a.m. to a half-hour before sunset.
The entrance fee to the refuge is $3 per family or per group with up to four adults. Children younger than 16 are admitted free.
The entrance is at 554 Voice of America Road.
For more information about the refuge’s centennial year or activities on the refuge, see www.dungeness100.com, phone the refuge office at 360-457-8451 or email david_falzetti@fws.gov.