Editor’s note: This is the 12th and final article in a series celebrating the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge’s centennial. — MD

I have enjoyed writing this series of articles for the centennial of Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. Thank you to Michael Dashiell and the Sequim Gazette for publishing them. A special thank you to the refuge manager and staff for giving me access to their records and to the Port Angeles Branch of the North Olympic Library System for its newspaper microfilm collection.

While there are more stories to tell, in this final article I want to talk about the future of the refuge.

Dungeness Spit is a geological wonder, the longest such sand spit in the nation. Despite tsunamis, subduction earthquakes and rising sea levels, the spit will not disappear any time soon, thanks to the continuing action of wind, waves and currents.

What about sea level change? The spit is only about 11 feet above the current sea level. Winter storms sometimes breach it now. Will it grow higher to match the rising sea level or will it become an underwater sand bar? While current estimates show some shrinkage in the overall size of the spit by 2100, it probably won’t disappear completely. Still, some vital nesting areas on the spit may disappear.

Climate change already is affecting birds. The “State of the Birds 2014 Report” by the National Audubon Society and other organizations projects at least 33 species of birds at risk of extinction on this continent. Temperature rise already is affecting bird migration patterns and food supply in nesting and wintering areas.

The report lauds “the investment in more than 160 coastal national wildlife refuges and 595,000 acres of national seashore in 10 states.” But it goes on to say, “Nevertheless, birds along America’s coastlines face threats from development, increased recreational use and rising sea levels due to climate change.”

What about development on Dungeness Bay? It can adversely affect the refuge in several ways. For example, recent water quality reports say the waters of Dungeness Bay are now clean enough to allow the resumption of shellfish farming and harvesting. Last century, a wandering oyster dredge regularly caused severe damage to the eelgrass beds that are the heart of the refuge.

The current method of farming geoduck clams presents multiple hazards to both foraging shorebirds and eelgrass. It remains to be seen whether these operations can be carried out without damaging the refuge and its web of life.

Housing developments also present a hazard, mainly from pollution and loss of open land. Most farmlands on the south side of the bay are now protected from development. They provide a necessary buffer zone between the refuge and any future housing developments. Wintering waterfowl depend on these agricultural lands for forage just as much as they depend on the refuge itself.

Good neighbors

All of this necessitates a “Good Neighbor Policy” on the part of all parties. Perhaps the most important and influential of those neighbors is the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. It and the refuge can work together to protect the refuge and the fishery for future generations. The refuge management always will strive to keep up good relations with the neighbors, with the understanding that its sole job is to protect the refuge and its wildlife.

Would the refuge ever seek to expand? That depends. It would gladly buy land from willing sellers, to act as a further buffer. Donations of land always are welcome — if they fit into the overall pattern of the refuge.

But having more land will not protect the refuge from every hazard.

Oil tanker traffic through the strait is projected to increase considerably in the next few years. Since accidents are bound to happen, oil spills from this increased tanker traffic are a matter of when, not if. How long before we are presented once again with the appalling spectacle of oiled birds and beaches?

The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge and its wildlife also are vulnerable to events far beyond the immediate boundaries. The brant geese that winter here nest on the Arctic Circle; what happens in the Arctic affects them here. Other birds pass through the refuge to rest and refuel on their migrations north and south. The sanderling, a tiny shorebird, travels 10,000 miles one-way from its nesting grounds in the high Arctic all the way down to the southern tip of Argentina. Dungeness is a crucial stopover/refueling place for them. If it disappears or is spoiled, where will they go?

Finally, there are the political threats. Some in our political and economic system always have opposed the idea of public lands. They have tried constantly, since even before the establishment of Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge in 1915, to turn public lands — forests, grazing lands, refuges, monuments, even some national parks — over to private ownership and exploitation.

While it might seem easy to point an accusing finger at one political party, the truth is that both major parties have sometimes supported and sometimes opposed the concept of public lands preserved for the good of all and for future generations.

We who value these lands must be ever vigilant and ready to speak out.

The primary group working on these and other issues is the nonprofit organization Friends of Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. It works with management and other conservation groups to protect and preserve the refuge. It always welcome new members.

Please help us protect this priceless gem.

John E. Maxwell is a historian for the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge.