Webinar: Managing the Coastal Squeeze

Recorded on 9/26/24

As we launch our Oregon Beaches Forever campaign, Oregon Shores and Surfrider are co-sponsoring a webinar, “Managing the Coastal Squeeze: How We Respond to Shrinking Beaches and Rising Seas.” The online event, which is free and open to all, will take place on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. The webinar explores how 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. We’ll introduce the Oregon Beaches Forever campaign, and then feature two presenters:

Kevin Herkamp is the Ocean Shore Program Coordinator with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. His role at OPRD involves developing and improving the permitting program and protections for our public shoreline (officially known as the Ocean Shore State Recreation Area) established under the 1967 Beach Bill. Over the past 30 years, Kevin has worked for the State of Oregon with multiple natural resource agencies. He will provide an overview of Oregon’s entirely public shoreline, the laws protecting it, the challenges facing it, and opportunities for public involvement.

Rhiannon Bezore is the Coastal Shores Specialist with the Oregon Coastal Management Program, which is part of the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. In this role, she works with local coastal communities on land use management issues under State Planning Goal 18 (which addresses beaches and dunes) and on ways to improve their resilience in the face of coastal hazards. She has a Master’s Degree and PhD in Coastal Geology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and the University of Melbourne in Australia. Before coming to Oregon, she worked with Virginia Sea Grant and Texas A&M University to help communities with their coastal resilience goals. She will offer an introduction to the coastal State Planning Goals, and then focus on Goal 18, and particularly on its provisions and requirements for shoreline armoring and dune grading, including non-structural options. She will also describe resources to learn more (Coastal Atlas, Coastal Erosion Guide, Beaches and Dunes Storymaps).

While the webinar will provide information relevant throughout the Oregon coastal region, it will be especially applicable to the current process in Clatsop County to update the county’s comprehensive plan concerning Goal 18, as well as Goal 17 (addressing coastal shorelands). For information about this webinar or the Oregon Beaches Forever campaign, contact Phillip Johnson, Oregon Shores’ Shoreline and Land Use Manager, (503) 754-9303, phillip@oregonshores.org.