Coastal Conservation News Archive

A complete archive of our past news articles, beginning in Fall 2016; older articles from our previous website are available in the historical archive

June 6, 2021

Mile-by-Mile Competition Boosts Oregon Shores

mile_9_david_grimes.jpg By way of honoring our 50th anniversary and laying the groundwork for the next 50 years, we’ve launched a special fund-raising campaign, pegged to our signature CoastWatch program. This year, when you contribute to Oregon Shores, regardless of the amount, you can designate a CoastWatch mile to be honored by your gift. You don’t...Read more
June 3, 2021

Oregon Shores Launches Eelgrass Project

eelgrass_mudflat_mike_graybill.jpg We work to protect a wide range of coastal habitats, from watersheds to offshore reefs. But no resource we work on is more important than the state’s estuaries. A critical component of estuarine ecosystems is eelgrass. Oregon Shores is committed to preserving the remaining eelgrass habitat in our estuaries,...Read more
Siuslaw watershed during the most recent king tide.\Photo by Rena Olson, with aerial support from Lighthawk.
May 10, 2021

King Tides Project Keeps Rising

Siuslaw watershed during the most recent king tide.\Photo by Rena Olson, with aerial support from Lighthawk. The King Tides Project has now completed its 11th year. This citizen science effort, organized by CoastWatch and the Oregon Coastal Management Program, drew the submission of more than 400 photos, documenting the highest reach of the year's highest tides...Read more
May 5, 2021

Jordan Cove Denied Key Dredging Permits

jordan_cove_aerial_rena_olson.jpg Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) handed two major victories on May 4 to Oregon Shores and other opponents of the proposed Jordan Cove LNG terminal, which Canadian multinational Pembina is seeking to build on Coos Bay’s North Spit. LUBA overturned permits that would have allowed major dredging for deep-...Read more
April 16, 2021

Rocky Habitat Protection Proposals Now Being Considered

blacklock_point_view_from_alex_derr.jpg The state of Oregon is developing a new Rocky Habitat Management Strategy, the first revision of Oregon’s policy for protecting rocky intertidal and nearshore subtidal ecosystems since 1994. Oregon Shores has been actively engaged in this process for the past three years. We are now in the crucial...Read more
April 16, 2021

Public Invited to Help Guide Beach Monitoring Program

Short Sand Beach in northern Tillamook County, one of the beaches proposed for monitoring.\Photo courtesy of ODFW. The Oregon Health Authority’s Beach Monitoring Program is the public’s means of learning whether the waters washing our beaches is polluted. All too often, the water quality testing provided by this program demonstrates that it is. As the program...Read more
April 11, 2021

Snowy Plover Nesting Season Underway

snowy_plover_exclosure_courtesy_usfws_re-sized.jpg Oregon’s conservationists and resource agencies have been engaged in a decades-long effort to restore the state’s population of the Western Snowy Plover, an endangered shorebird that nests on Oregon beaches (the only shorebird that breeds here). We are now in the nesting season,...Read more
March 16, 2021

Work for a Foam-Free Oregon

Here's the foam we hope to ban.\Photo by John Chapman. Oregon Shores has joined other groups in supporting House Bill 2617, the Foam-Free Oregon bill. Expanded polystyrene, often known by its trademarked name, Styrofoam, is a form of foamed plastic commonly used for food containers and packaging. This disposable packaging is usually thrown away after a single...Read more
March 15, 2021

Environmental Steward Certificate Program Always Open

marine_debris_survey_fort_stevens_ed_jesse_patricia_jensen.jpg Oregon Shores and CoastWatch partners with Clatsop Community College (CCC) in sponsoring the Environmental Steward Certificate program, an innovative program which melds building volunteer skills with preparation for careers in conservation. Participants in...Read more
February 10, 2021

King Tides Photo Contest Winners Announced

Winning photo is a comparison shot showing the Siuslaw Marina and Store at Cushman on Hwy 126 during a king tide and a regular high tide.\Photo by John Bragg. The past winter’s edition of the King Tides Project, the 11th year of this annual citizen science effort, had a new feature. This time around, we partnered with the Oregon Coast Visitors Association to...Read more