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

Photo of "Oyster" wave energy device in operation.
September 1, 2016

Rules for Ocean Energy Siting Are on the Horizon

"Oyster" wave energy device in operation. All has been seemingly quiet on the ocean energy front for some years now. It was nearly a decade ago that early prospectors for wave energy sites set off a flurry of interest and concern. The state’s Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) and a subsequent Territorial Sea Plan Working Group began to wrestle with...Read more
Storm at Netarts Bay entrance. Photo by Allison Asbjornsen.
August 21, 2016

"Citizen's Guide: Adapting to Climate Change on the Oregon Coast" is Available for Download

In 2015 our Climate Program released a new and significantly improved version of our Citizen’s Guide: Adapting to Climate Change on the Oregon Coast . The publication, available for download here , is aimed at helping citizens build their understanding of the many ways in which the Oregon coast is...Read more
Coos Bay's North Spit, looking east. Photo by Courtney Johnson.
August 21, 2016

Coos County Ratifies Pro-LNG Decision

We have waited a long time for the official word, even though we were certain we knew what it would be. Finally, after many delays, the Coos County Board of Commissioners has affirmed most elements in the earlier decision of its appointed Hearings Officer, approving land use permits for the proposed Jordan Cove LNG (liquefied natural gas) export facility, and overruling the many contrary...Read more
Developer Tai Dang's threatened Rockaway house. Photo by Shalom Gilbert.
August 11, 2016

Rockaway Riprap Applicant Turns to Court

Developer Tai Dang's threatened Rockaway house. Photo by Shalom Gilbert. The saga of developer Tai Dang’s campaign to be allowed to riprap his controversial rental property in Rockaway may have come to an end, as far as the City of Rockaway Beach is concerned, but this is like one of those Hollywood movies that seems to have come to a satisfying conclusion,...Read more
Condos at Cape Kiwanda--we have questions about coastal management. Photo by Sonja Peterson.
June 12, 2016

Oregon Shores Seeks to Bolster Coastal Management through NOAA Comments

Condos at Cape Kiwanda--we have questions about coastal management. Photo by Sonja Peterson. Thanks to the Coastal Zone Management Act, states potentially have a great deal of control over their own coastal destinies. Under the CZMA, if a state’s coastal policies are accepted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the federal government...Read more
Photo of sunset as Seal Rock, by Alex Derr.
June 11, 2016

Benefit Coastal Conservation While You Shop

Oregon Shores needs the support of all our members, and all those who care about protecting our coastal environment, if our initiatives in such key areas as citizen science, marine reserves, and shoreline protection are to succeed. You can help by joining or renewing your membership, and by making additional contributions. But another way to assist us – and benefit us all year long – is by...Read more
House on spit isolated behind riprap. Photo courtesy of DOGAMI.
June 10, 2016

Climate Program Addresses Both Abatement and Adaptation

House on spit isolated behind riprap. Photo courtesy of DOGAMI. Our Climate Program is our means of addressing the dominant challenge of our time in history—the anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change that threatens to transform our planetary habitat and affect everything Oregon Shores works to protect. Climate activism generally falls into two categories:...Read more
Aerial photo of Cape Lookout from the sea, showing Boy Scout camp property just south of the Cape. Photo by Alex Derr.
May 20, 2016

Oregon Shores Opposes Boy Scout Golf Course Plan

Cape Lookout with Scout property to the right. Photo by Alex Derr. In December 2015 the Oregon Shores board voted to oppose the proposed development of a golf course on land owned by the Boy Scouts of America just south of Cape Lookout in Tillamook County. The Scouts’ Cascade Pacific Council is considering a scheme to lease 200 acres of forested land bordering...Read more
Photo of the wreck of the Peter Iredale, by H. Kroggins.
May 7, 2016

Photos Shared with Oregon Shores Help Illustrate Our Work

As you've likely noticed if you visit this website regularly, Oregon Shores uses numerous photographs of the shoreline and of the entire coastal region. We illustrate articles on this website, and we also use photos in newsletters and e-bulletins and in various other publications, such as CoastWatch handouts. We’re constantly searching for new images of the coast. Some we seek for their sheer...Read more
Black Oystercatcher with chick. Photo by Heather Roskelley.
April 17, 2016

Catch These Opportunities for Oystercatcher Survey Training

CoastWatch sponsors a great deal of citizen science activity, but some of our partners in the Oregon Marine Debris Team also offer opportunities to assist in scientific observation. One of these is Portland Audubon, which sponsors a Black Oystercatcher survey and is looking for new volunteers. Black Oystercatcher with chick. Photo by Heather Roskelley....Read more