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

January 10, 2022

Shoreline Destruction Takes Place While Appeal Pending

Destruction of the shoreline at Pine Beach due to shoreline armoring project.\Photo by Randy Stevenson. Oregon Shores is battling what we consider to be a grossly inappropriate shoreline armoring project in Tillamook County. Joined by Surfrider, we are appealing a decision by the county commissioners to allow an “exception” to statewide planning Goal 18, which...Read more
January 4, 2022

King Tides Project Rose Again

King tide assaults the Hwy 101 seawall at Waldport.\Photo by Roy Lowe. The King Tides Project has now completed its 12th year. This citizen science effort, organized by CoastWatch and the Oregon Coastal Management Program, last winter drew the submission of more than 400 photos, documenting the highest reach of the year's highest tides. Dozens of volunteer...Read more
Mile 147.\Photo by Lyndell Wilken.
January 2, 2022

Mile-by-Mile Competition Concludes

Mile 147.\Photo by Lyndell Wilken. By way of honoring our 50 th anniversary and laying the groundwork for the next 50 years, we launched a special fund-raising campaign, pegged to our signature CoastWatch program. We have a special place on our website devoted to this campaign: ...Read more
December 31, 2021

Rocky Habitat Proposals Under Review

The view from Blacklock Point.\Photo by Alex Derr. 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 slow-moving process for more than three years. The basic framework of the...Read more
Jordan Cove
December 2, 2021

Jordan Cove Victory—At Least for Now

Jordan Cove, at left in the photo, won't be the site of an LNG terminal.\Photo by Rena Olson, with support from Lighthawk. Exciting news for anyone concerned about land use, estuaries, and climate change: The Jordan Cove Energy Project has abandoned its effort to build an LNG (liquefied natural gas) export terminal on Coos Bay’s North Spit. On Wednesday, Nov...Read more
November 22, 2021

Jordan Cove Denied Key Dredging Permits

Coos Bay estuary, with site of proposed LNG terminal in the cove at center-left.\Photo by Rena Olson, with support from Lighthawk. 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...Read more
November 11, 2021

Oregon Shores Appeals Tillamook County Approval of Riprap

Houses at Pine Beach for which riprap is being sought.\Photo by Chris Berrie. Oregon Shores has appealed a decision by Tillamook County that would allow a major shoreline armoring project to take place through an “exception” to statewide land use law. Surfrider Foundation has joined us in the appeal. On Friday, Nov. 5, we filed a “Notice of Intent to Appeal” a...Read more
Tidepool life at Indian Point.\Photo by Ingrid Lam.
September 27, 2021

Student Essay Explores Kelp and Climate

Tidepool life at Indian Point.\Photo by Ingrid Lam. Last November, our CoastWatch program sponsored a talk by Steve Rumrill of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), who discussed the importance of protecting rocky coastal habitats in light of the decline of species such as kelp, abalone, and sea stars. His talk was entitled “Calamity in the Kelp:...Read more
Purple urchins.\Photo by Alex Derr.
September 10, 2021

Climate Vulnerability Assessment Proposed for Fisheries

Purple urchins.\Photo by Alex Derr. Oregon Shores sponsored an online talk on Sept. 8 by Mark Carr on “Preparing for a Changing Ocean.” The presentation was part of a series of talks by experts from around the country that we have sponsored during our 50 th anniversary year, as we look ahead to the next 50 years of coastal conservation. Dr. Carr’s talk prompted...Read more
September 4, 2021

Comment on Whale Entanglement

Gray whale at Depoe Bay.\Photo by Rena Olson. Whale entanglement in fishing gear is a global problem. It is a problem off the U.S. West Coast, including Oregon. Fishery gear entanglement is a direct human cause of harm and mortality to cetaceans. Oregon Dungeness crab fishing gear has been found to be a major source of entanglements. Most such entanglements go...Read more