LIGHTHOUSE TO BEACON VIEW AND CLIMATE Johan Van Nimwegen stands by the New Dungeness Light Station Association weather station by the lighthouse at the tip of the Dungeness Spit Dec. 15. He will also have a Web cam up and running, showcasing photos of the spit online. Photo by Evan McLean By Evan McLean Staff writer The New Dungeness Lighthouse is wiring its weather onto the Web. The Light Station Association wants to share the spectacular views that the tower highlights with its powerful beam with the world. ?We have a very distinct view from the lighthouse here,? said Johan Van Nimwegen, president of the New Dungeness Light Station Association. ?We want to market the natural wonder that is the Dungeness Spit and lighthouse.? Van Nimwegen already has a weather station at the lighthouse and expects the camera to be online soon. Other cams already operate in Sequim run by businesses and home hobbyists. Clarence Glover maintains a weather station on top of his office at Peter Black Real Estate and a weather cam on top of the grain elevator on West Washington Street. ?Since prevailing storms come from the south, it made sense to be able to see the mountains and some landmarks for a basis to watch the clouds,? he said. ?I?m interested in seeing what the view will be from the lighthouse.? Pat McCauley, owner of InsideOut Solutions, was part of a Sequim Marketing Action Committe request to the City Council for a line item on Sequim?s 2007 budget for a weather station and Web cam. ?What SMAC and the city are going to do is wait and see how this lighthouse station operates before allocating the $13,000 for another cam,? McCauley said. ?I?m really excited about the (Dungeness) project and I think that there may be room for Dungeness and Sequim photos on the city and tourism sites.? Van Nimwegen offered the City Council free linkage to his weather project at their Dec. 11 meeting. City staff said the offer could save the city $13,000 in 2007. Microclimates ?Often times it is foggy out on the spit and the sun is shining in Sequim,? McCauley said. ?I live out there and driving to work I go through a couple microclimates just getting downtown, much less all the way to Bell Hill.? City staff suggested to McCauley that the weather cam and climate station might have the best view from the reservoir. She wants to show the whole valley and possibly across the strait to Victoria, B.C. ?If we have a weather page with two or three microclimates, it will help people see accurate weather for Sequim,? she said. She said showcasing the city?s reputable climate as a destination is important for tourism economics. The city funds allocated for the weather cam come from the hotel-motel tax revenues. Economics McCauley wants a WeatherBug camera. News networks like King5 use this system for weather updates throughout the state. ?When you watch Seattle news you always see Potlatch?s weather pop up,? she said. ?The reason is they have a WeatherBug system that the networks can tap right into. I want that for Sequim.? News coverage is another reason why multiple cameras might help Sequim?s image. McCauley said photos of the spit or city could be used to represent the area to people outside of the peninsula. ?The people who contact me regarding my camera are mostly those who used to live here or home hobbyists checking up on the system and area,? Glover said. ?I do get some contacts from people interested in the area, however.? McCauley added that another great feature of the lighthouse weather station is nautical safety. Fishers, crabbers and boaters would greatly benefit from a station right on the water, she said. In 1999 several smaller crafts accidentally ran aground on the spit despite the light station and modern nautical equipment. The lighthouse is at the end of a 5-mile hike down the Dungeness Spit, part of a national wildlife refuge. It was the first lighthouse to be lit in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound region 149 years ago. To visit Peter Black Real Estate online go to www.sequim.com and for InsideOut?s tourism page, click on www.visitsun.com. ?Current weather at NDL? link at www.NewDungenessLighthouse.com offers: - current conditions - temperature - wind and precipitation - archived records and trends - Web cam photos (in process) |
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