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

Nestucca River scene.\Photo by Dennis White.
March 29, 2018

Fish and Wildlife Priorities Will Be Subject of Town Halls

Nestucca River scene.\Photo by Dennis White. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is offering a series of “town halls” around the state, to give members of the public an opportunity to weigh in on the agency’s priorities as it develops its proposed 2019-2021 budget. A particular concern is the lack of funding in the department’s initial plans for...Read more
2018 Oregon Shores Board Members
March 28, 2018

Meet Oregon Shores’ New Board Members

Newly elected or re-elected Oregon Shores board members, clockwise from left: Ed Joyce, Wayne Rifer, Patrick Willis, Ron Steffens, Allison Asbjornsen, Eric Watkins, and Leslie Morehead. In the recent online election (Oregon Shores’ first such electoral foray into the digital realm), members voted near-unanimously for a slate of new and returning board members...Read more
March 20, 2018

Sightings: By-the Wind Sailors Make Beach Landings Early this Year

Velella velella wash-up. Photo by Dale Harmer. Reports have been flooding in since mid-March that the by-the wind sailors, known to science as Velella velella , have arrived early this year. Large masses have been reported on some beaches, in some cases already decomposing. What’s more, we’re seeing large wash-ups of young, so small they aren’t readily apparent...Read more
March 16, 2018

Global Warming Commission Has New Website

The Oregon Global Warming Commission has a new, improved website and climate-focused blog at...Read more
Snowy Plover chicks.\Photo by Adam Kotaich.
March 16, 2018

Snowy Plover Nesting Period Ends

Snowy Plover chicks.\Photo by Adam Kotaich. Beachgoers assist the ongoing effort to restore healthy populations of the threatened Western Snowy Plover to Oregon’s beaches by respecting nesting areas and beach restrictions during nesting season, March 15 through Sept. 15. Signs and ropes that identify sensitive western snowy plover nesting areas have gone up now...Read more
Fawn Custer teaching tidepool clinic.\Photo by Alex Derr.
February 24, 2018

Tidepool Tours Offered in Lincoln City

Fawn Custer teaching tidepool clinic.\Photo by Alex Derr. Tidepools and rocky shore habitats are the focus of a series of short field trips CoastWatch has been offering this spring, and which continue into summer. The events are free and open to everyone. They also double as training sessions for CoastWatchers—or prospective CoastWatchers—with rocky stretches...Read more
Marine debris collected on Bayocean Spit.\Photo by Paul Lask.
February 21, 2018

Sightings: An Encounter with Marine Debris

Marine debris collected on Bayocean Spit.\Photo by Paul Lask. I kick a hairball of grass and twigs and stems, sometimes called a whale burp, and more often than not see mesh, a bottle cap, a soap dispenser plunger. Down the way is a skinned baseball, a strange planet crash-landed among the gaper and cockle shells. There's half a lighter beside busted sand...Read more
Tidepool instruction at Haystack Rock.\Photo by Melissa Keyser/HRAP.
February 15, 2018

Share the Coast for Fun and Stewardship

Tidepool instruction at Haystack Rock.\Photo by Melissa Keyser/HRAP. The annual Sharing the Coast Conference, coming up March 2-4 in Cannon Beach this year, presents an extraordinary harvest of coastal natural history and shoreline science. Mingle with fellow coast-lovers, revel in talks, panel discussions, and field trips, and, of course, strive for supremacy...Read more
King tide at Bandon's south jetty. Photo by Barbara Harrison.
February 6, 2018

King Tide Project Will Rise Again this Winter

King tide at Bandon's south jetty. Photo by Barbara Harrison. The 2018-2019 edition of the King Tide Project is on the horizon. We have identified the three highest-high-tide sequences of the coming winter, and we're organizing "preview" events to provide background information and introduce new volunteers to the project. See the calendar for details. To see...Read more
January 30, 2018

February 6 Rally to Protest Oil Drilling Scheme

Oregon Shores is joining with many other conservation groups to sponsor a rally on the State Capitol steps to protest the Trump administration’s suddenly announced plan to open Oregon’s ocean waters to oil drilling leases (along with almost all United States marine areas). The rally takes places at 2:30 p.m., in conjunction with a hearing by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)...Read more