Clatsop County has been revising its comprehensive plan, bit by bit, over a number of years. This year, the county is working on the last three goals: Goal 16 (estuaries), Goal 17 (coastal shorelands), and Goal 18 (beaches and dunes). At stake are future policies concerning such issues as shoreline armoring, public access, development in dune areas, and cable crossings of the shoreline. (“Goals,” which have the force of law, are the fundamental structure of Oregon’s statewide land use planning system.)

The timeline for completion of this planning effort is uncertain. At present, consultants led by the Astoria-based CREST (Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce) are working on draft recommendations, and the state’s Department of Geology and Mineral Industries is developing new maps showing sea level rise. Once those become available, there will be a public comment period and in-person stakeholder meeting, presumably sometime in later summer. The consultants are scheduled to deliver recommendations by October, although the process got off to a late start and it is uncertain whether the deadline can be met.

Oregon Shores and Surfrider will work to organize widespread involvement in the planning process, advocating for the strongest possible conservation provisions, once it becomes clear when the public comment period will begin.

In the interim, we’re sponsoring a webinar about the impact of climate change to our public shoreline. “Managing the Coastal Squeeze: How We Respond to Shrinking Beaches and Rising Seas” takes place online this Thursday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. While the discussion will be of general interest, there will be a focus on Clatsop County. The event is free and open to all. The webinar will explore the ways in which we currently manage our beaches, dunes, and adjacent shorelands in the era of the “coastal squeeze,” as sea level rise and increased storm surges come up against riprap and other infrastructure. Register here.

Click here to see the county’s public information about the plan update, and find links to the current language in the plan relating to the goals under review.

Watch for more information once we have a draft plan and timeline to use as the basis for organizing our response. To learn more about the issues and how to get involved, contact Phillip Johnson, Oregon Shores’ Shoreline and Land Use Manager, (503) 754-9303, phillip@oregonshores.org. 

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Photo: Clatsop County coastline, by Kirt Edblom

  • Coastal Lands
  • Estuaries
  • Oregon Beaches Forever