Natural Resources Conservation Area
- Phecda (stars.astro.illinois.edu)
PHECDA (Gamma Ursae Majoris). Few figures in the sky move us more than the Big Dipper, its seven bright stars laid out in a long bent row that the British call the Plough. All but one of its stars are second magnitude, though Phecda, the third one in from the end of the bowl, and southernmost of the bowl stars, is just on the edge of third (2.44).
- Maury Island Aquatic Reserve (www.dnr.wa.gov)
The Maury Island Aquatic Reserve is located in central Puget Sound and includes 5,530 acres of state-owned aquatic lands in Quartermaster Harbor and along the eastern shoreline of Maury Island. Designated in 2004, the reserve protects extensive eelgrass beds, mudflats, forage fish spawning grounds and includes an Audubon Important Bird Area. The Aquatic Reserve is also a popular recreation area with numerous adjacent public access areas managed by King County Parks and Vashon Park District.
- Point Doughty Natural Area Preserve (dnr.wa.gov)
Located on the coast of Orcas Island, this 57 acre forested preserve protects natural examples of dry-site forest communities dominated by Douglas-fir, Pacific madrone, salal and ocean spray, representing the “rain shadow” vegetation that occurs in the San Juan Islands. Bald eagles feed and nest on the preserve and seals haul out on the rocky shoreline. A small state-owned recreation site on the point is used for marine mammal study, kayak and small boat camping, as well as outdoor education through nearby, privately owned Camp Orkila.