In the 1970s, Marty Bluewater bought a small piece of a Washington island planned for 800 homes; decades later, the entire 400-acre island is a wildlife refuge and he is its only resident

• As Bluewater spent more time on Protection Island, he wanted to make it his permanent home.
• (Picture: Facebook)On Washington State’s Protection Island, Marty Bluewater has an unusual kind of neighbourhood.
• Gulls fly over the sandy bluffs, harbour seals rest on the beach and tufted puffins can be seen in the water.