# Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge

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Protected area in Oregon, United States

Three Arch National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) Interactive map of Three Arch National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness Location Tillamook County, Oregon, United States Nearest city Oceanside, Oregon Coordinates 45°27′44″N 123°59′19″W / 45.4623244°N 123.9887422°W / 45.4623244; -123.9887422[1] Area 15.00 acres (6.07 ha) [2] Established October 14, 1907 Governing body U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Website Three Arch Rocks NWR

**Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge** is a U.S. [National Wildlife Refuge](/source/National_Wildlife_Refuge) off the northern [Oregon Coast](/source/Oregon_Coast). It is located on the central coast of [Tillamook County](/source/Tillamook_County%2C_Oregon), in the northwestern part of Oregon. It is one of six National Wildlife Refuges within the [Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex](/source/Oregon_Coast_National_Wildlife_Refuge_Complex) and was the first National Wildlife Refuge west of the [Mississippi River](/source/Mississippi_River). In 1970 the Refuge was designated as [wilderness](/source/Wilderness). It is one of the smallest wilderness areas in the [United States](/source/United_States).[3]

## Geography

Three Arch Rocks consists of 15 acres (6 ha) on three large and six small rocky islands located about a half mile (1 km) offshore from [Oceanside](/source/Oceanside%2C_Oregon). It is one of the smallest designated [wilderness areas](/source/Wilderness_Act) in the U.S., but features the largest colony of breeding [tufted puffins](/source/Tufted_puffin) and the largest [common murre](/source/Common_murre) colony south of [Alaska](/source/Alaska). It is the only northern Oregon pupping site for the threatened [Steller sea lion](/source/Steller_sea_lion).[4]

## History

[Common murre](/source/Common_murre) colony at Three Arch Rocks.

The refuge was established by President [Theodore Roosevelt](/source/Theodore_Roosevelt) after being persuaded by two young conservationists — [William L. Finley](/source/William_L._Finley) and Herman Bohlman — who studied and photographed Three Arch Rocks from Oceanside beginning in 1901. They recorded hunters killing dozens of [sea lions](/source/Sea_lions) at a time for skin and oil, and sportsmen shooting seabirds purely for sport. Due to a scarcity of regional chicken farms at the time, seabird eggs were priced at up to a dollar per dozen, encouraging egg harvesting and reducing the bird colony population. Finley and Bohlman suggested a wildlife refuge to Roosevelt to protect dwindling populations and ensure survival of seabird and marine mammal populations. Roosevelt declared the Three Rocks area a National Wildlife Refuge in 1907.[4] In 1970 the [United States Congress](/source/United_States_Congress) designated the Refuge [wilderness](/source/Wilderness). In 1994, there was a sighting of a group of 2 or 3 [North Pacific right whales](/source/North_Pacific_right_whale), the most rare and endangered of all large whales at the Rocks.[5]

## Protection

View from the south

View from the [Cape Meares Light](/source/Cape_Meares_Light)

The Three Arch Rocks Refuge has provided protection for [Oregon](/source/Oregon)'s largest [seabird](/source/Seabird) nesting colony of more than 230,000 birds since October 14, 1907.[4] The entire Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex protect over a million nesting seabirds, including common [murres](/source/Murres), tufted [puffins](/source/Puffins), [cormorants](/source/Cormorants), and [storm-petrels](/source/Storm-petrels).

## Access

The islands are closed to public access. Boats must remain at least 500 ft (150 m) away during summer months,[6] and aircraft must maintain at least 2,000 ft (600 m) clearance.[7] The area is managed by the [United States Fish and Wildlife Service](/source/United_States_Fish_and_Wildlife_Service).

## See also

- [List of National Wildlife Refuges in Oregon](/source/List_of_National_Wildlife_Refuges#Oregon)

- [List of Oregon Wildernesses](/source/List_of_Oregon_Wildernesses)

- [List of U.S. Wilderness Areas](/source/List_of_U.S._Wilderness_Areas)

- [Wilderness Act](/source/Wilderness_Act)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-gnis_1-0)** ["Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge"](https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/search/names/1155505). *[Geographic Names Information System](/source/Geographic_Names_Information_System)*. [United States Geological Survey](/source/United_States_Geological_Survey), [United States Department of the Interior](/source/United_States_Department_of_the_Interior).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-area_2-0)** ["Annual Report of Lands as of September 30, 2009"](https://www.fws.gov/refuges/realty/archives/pdf/2009_Annual_Report_of_Lands.pdf) (PDF). [United States Fish and Wildlife Service](/source/United_States_Fish_and_Wildlife_Service).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-wildnet_3-0)** [Three Rocks Wilderness](http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&wname=Three%20Arch%20Rocks) - Wilderness.net

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-fws3_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-fws3_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-fws3_4-2) ["Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge"](https://www.fws.gov/oregoncoast/3archrocks/index.htm). [United States Fish and Wildlife Service](/source/United_States_Fish_and_Wildlife_Service). Retrieved September 18, 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife](/source/Washington_Department_of_Fish_and_Wildlife) (2012). ["Endangered Species"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150219002154/http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/endangered/species/misc_whales.pdf) (PDF). *Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 2012 Annual Report*. Archived from [the original](http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/endangered/species/misc_whales.pdf/) (pdf) on February 19, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Help Protect Marine Wildlife"](https://www.fws.gov/oregoncoast/PDF/Boat%20Poster.pdf) ([PDF](/source/PDF)). [United States Fish and Wildlife Service](/source/United_States_Fish_and_Wildlife_Service). Retrieved September 14, 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Pilots: Please Help Protect Marine Wildlife in Oregon"](https://www.fws.gov/oregoncoast/PDF/Pilots%20Poster%20FINAL.pdf) ([PDF](/source/PDF)). [United States Fish and Wildlife Service](/source/United_States_Fish_and_Wildlife_Service). Retrieved September 14, 2007.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Three_Arch_Rocks_National_Wildlife_Refuge).

- [Official website](https://www.fws.gov/refuge/three_arch_rocks/)

- ["Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge Overview"](https://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=13595). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

- ["Three Arch Rocks Map"](https://www.fws.gov/oregoncoast/images/maps/TAR_public_111607.pdf) (PDF). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

- Hardt, Ulrich H. ["Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge"](https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/three_arch_rocks_national_wildlife_refuge_wilderness/). *[The Oregon Encyclopedia](/source/The_Oregon_Encyclopedia)*.

v t e Protected areas of Oregon Federal National Estuarine Research Reserves South Slough National Forests Deschutes Fremont–Winema Malheur Mount Hood Ochoco Rogue River–Siskiyou Siuslaw Umatilla Umpqua Wallowa–Whitman Willamette National Grasslands Crooked River National Historic Sites and Historical Parks Fort Vancouver Lewis and Clark Nez Perce National Monuments Cascade-Siskiyou John Day Fossil Beds Mount St. Helens Volcanic Newberry Volcanic Oregon Caves National Parks Crater Lake National Recreation Areas Hells Canyon Mount Hood Oregon Dunes National Wild and Scenic Rivers Big Marsh Creek Chetco River Clackamas River Clackamas River (South Fork) Collawash River Crescent Creek Crooked River (Oregon) Crooked River (North Fork) Deschutes River Donner und Blitzen River Elk Creek Elk River Elkhorn Creek Fifteenmile Creek Fish Creek Grande Ronde River Hood River (East Fork) Hood River (Middle Fork) Illinois River Imnaha River Jenny Creek John Day River John Day River (North Fork) John Day River (South Fork) Joseph Creek Klamath River Little Deschutes River Lostine River Malheur River Malheur River (North Fork) McKenzie River Metolius River Minam River Molalla River Nestucca River North Powder River North Umpqua River Owyhee River Owyhee River (North Fork) Powder River Quartzville Creek Roaring River Rogue River Salmon River Sandy River Smith River (North Fork) Sprague River Sycan River Wallowa River Wenaha River West Little Owyhee River White River Whychus Creek Wildhorse Creek Willamette River (North Fork of the Middle Fork) Zigzag River National Wildlife Refuges Ankeny Bandon Marsh Baskett Slough Bear Valley Cape Meares Cold Springs Deer Flat Hart Mountain Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White-Tailed Deer Klamath Marsh Lewis and Clark Lower Klamath Malheur McKay Creek Nestucca Bay Oregon Islands Siletz Bay Three Arch Rocks Tualatin River Umatilla Upper Klamath Wapato Lake William L. Finley Other National Historic Landmarks National Natural Landmarks National Register of Historic Places Wilderness Areas State Parks North Coast Arcadia Beach Bob Straub Bradley Cape Kiwanda Cape Lookout Cape Meares Clay Myers at Whalen Island Del Rey Beach Ecola Elmer Feldenheimer Fishing Rock Fort Stevens Gearhart Ocean Haystack Hill Hug Point John Yeon Manhattan Beach Munson Creek Falls Neahkahnie–Manzanita Nehalem Bay Oceanside Beach Oswald West Rockaway Beach Sunset Beach Sunset Highway Forest Sitka Sedge Symons Tolovana Beach Twin Rocks Wilson River Highway Forest Central Coast Agate Beach Alsea Bay Beachside Beaver Creek Beverly Beach Boiler Bay Carl G. Washburne Collins Creek D River Darlingtonia Devils Lake Devils Punch Bowl Driftwood Beach Ellmaker Fogarty Creek Gleneden Beach Governor Patterson H.B. Van Duzer Heceta Head Lighthouse Jessie M. Honeyman Joaquin Miller Forest L. Presley & Vera C. Gill Lost Creek Muriel O. Ponsler Neptune Neskowin Beach Ona Beach Otter Crest Pritchard Roads End Rocky Creek San Marine Seal Rock Smelt Sands South Beach Stonefield Beach Tokatee Klootchman W. B. Nelson Whale Watching Yachats Yachats Ocean Road Yaquina Bay South Coast Albert H. Powers Alfred A. Loeb Arizona Beach Bandon Bolon Island Tideways Bullards Beach Cape Arago Cape Blanco Cape Sebastian Conde B. McCullough Coquille Myrtle Grove Crissey Field Elk Creek Tunnel Forest Face Rock Floras Lake Geisel Monument Golden and Silver Falls Harris Beach Hoffman Humbug Mountain Hutchinson Lone Ranch Maria C. Jackson McVay Rock Ophir Otter Point Paradise Point Pistol River Port Orford Cedar Forest Port Orford Heads Samuel H. Boardman Seven Devils Shore Acres Sisters Rock Sunset Bay Sweet Myrtle Umpqua Umpqua Lighthouse Umpqua Myrtle William M. Tugman Winchuck Yoakam Point Portland Metro Banks–Vernonia Bonnie Lure Forest Park Government Island L. L. "Stub" Stewart Mary S. Young Milo McIver Tryon Creek Willamette Stone Columbia River Gorge/ Mount Hood Ainsworth Benson Bonneville Bridal Veil Falls Crown Point Dabney Dalton Point George W. Joseph Guy W. Talbot Historic Columbia River Highway John B. Yeon Koberg Beach Lang Forest Lewis and Clark Lindsey Creek Mayer McLoughlin Memaloose Multnomah Falls Portland Women's Forum Rocky Butte Rooster Rock Seneca Fouts Shepperd's Dell Sheridan Starvation Creek Viento Vinzenz Lausmann Wyeth Wygant Willamette Valley Alderwood Bald Peak Blachly Mountain Forest Bowers Rock Cascadia Champoeg Detroit Lake Dexter Elijah Bristow Erratic Rock Fall Creek Fort Yamhill Holman Jasper Lowell Luckiamute Maples Maud Williamson Molalla River North Santiam Sarah Helmick Silver Falls State Capitol Thompson's Mills Washburne Willamette Mission Willamette Greenway Southern Oregon Ben Hur Lampman Canyon Creek Forest Casey Collier Memorial Illinois River Forks Jackson F. Kimball Joseph H. Stewart Klamath Falls – Lakeview Forest OC&E Woods Line Prospect Rough and Ready Forest Stage Coach Forest TouVelle Tseriadun Tub Springs Valley of the Rogue Wolf Creek Inn Central Oregon Cline Falls Cottonwood Canyon Deschutes River Dyer Elliott Corbett La Pine Ochoco Peter Skene Ogden Pilot Butte Prineville Reservoir Redmond–Bend Juniper Sisters Smith Rock The Cove Palisades Tumalo White River Falls Eastern Oregon Bates Battle Mountain Forest Blue Mountain Forest Booth Catherine Creek Chandler Clyde Holliday Crooked Creek Deadman's Pass Emigrant Springs Farewell Bend Fort Rock Fort Rock Cave Frenchglen Hotel Goose Lake Hat Rock Hilgard Junction Kam Wah Chung Lake Owyhee Minam Ontario Pete French Round Barn Red Bridge Succor Creek Sumpter Valley Dredge Ukiah–Dale Forest Unity Forest Unity Lake Wallowa Lake Wallowa Lake Highway Forest Wallowa River Forests Clatsop Elliott Gilchrist Santiam Sun Pass Tillamook Wildlife areas Bridge Creek Dean Creek Denman E. E. Wilson Elkhorn Fern Ridge Irrigon Jewell Meadows Klamath Ladd Marsh Lower Deschutes Phillip W. Schneider Prineville Riverside Sauvie Island Snake River Islands Summer Lake Wenaha White River Willow Creek Local Metro Blue Lake Cooper Mountain Glendoveer Graham Oaks Howell Oregon Zoo Oxbow Quamash Prairie Smith and Bybee Mount Talbert Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District Tualatin Hills Nature Park Category Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Portland Commons

v t e National Wildlife Refuges of the United States Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming American Samoa Guam Puerto Rico U.S. Minor Outlying Islands U.S. Virgin Islands

Authority control databases International VIAF National United States Israel

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Arch_Rocks_National_Wildlife_Refuge) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Arch_Rocks_National_Wildlife_Refuge?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.