Oregon Shores

We had a great time at our Volunteer appreciation celebration, CoastWatch open house, and beach cleanup at Tolovana Beach State Park on Sunday! Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us. And thank you to our incredible volunteers!

Annually, throughout the last full week of September, we celebrate sea otters during Sea Otter Awareness Week (Sept 20-26). We encourage zoological and educational institutions, governmental agencies and communities to plan and undertake events that highlight sea otters. These activities include sharing stories, disseminating science and generating media that inspire a deeper awareness of these unique marine mammals, their ecological importance and the many challenges they face.

Sea Otter Awareness Week is organized and sponsored by Defenders of Wildlife, Sea Otter Savvy, California Department of Parks and Recreation, the Elakha Alliance, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Find events related to Sea Otter Awareness Week : https://www.elakhaalliance.org/events/

Photos courtesy of Elakha Alliance

REMINDER: Come celebrate our amazing CoastWatch volunteers—and discover what community science is all about!

Join us for a fun, family-friendly afternoon celebrating the volunteers who help us care for Oregon’s coast. Stop by our educational table to learn about CoastWatch and other community science opportunities, then join us for a beach walk where we’ll clean up marine debris, complete a Mile Report, and explore the shore together.

We’ll gather at 1:00pm for a moment of gratitude to highlight outstanding volunteer contributions. Afterward, enjoy an afternoon on the beach together, where we’ll explore Oregon Shores programming and community science opportunities. This year, we will also gather for a beach clean up of Mile 313 beginning at 11:30am.

Whether you’re a longtime volunteer or curious to learn more, everyone is welcome!

LINK IN OUR BIO TO REGISTER

3 clean up events in the same weekend. See you there!

Did you see the video of Education Manager, Rachel Freeman, cleaning up pallet campfire debris?! As she drags a magnet through the fire scar, we witness a crazy amount of rusty nails that were left behind. Come join us in making the beaches safer and healthier on Sunday, September 20, from 11:30am-1:00pm for a community cleanup hosted by Oregon Shores and CoastWatch volunteers at Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site in Cannon Beach, Oregon.

This event is part of SOLVE’s annual Beach & Riverside Cleanup, taking place September 18–27. Throughout this region-wide effort, volunteers will come together to remove litter and hazardous debris before it can harm wildlife and pollute our waterways.

When you arrive, look for our signs and pop-up tent to find us on the beach! We’ll gather at the tent near the parking lot before heading north along Mile 313 to collect marine debris, learn about the coastal environment, and conduct monitoring as time allows. CoastWatch thrives on the collaborative spirit of its volunteers, who work collectively to monitor and advocate for a thriving coastal environment. This is a great opportunity to connect with CoastWatchers and get involved! No experience necessary.

This event will be part of a larger Volunteer Appreciation and CoastWatch Open House that begins at 10:00am. Feel free to arrive early and join us for a brief thank you, treats, and connecting with others!

Link in bio to register.

Come celebrate our amazing CoastWatch volunteers—and discover what community science is all about!

Join us for a fun, family-friendly afternoon celebrating the volunteers who help us care for Oregon’s coast. Stop by our educational table to learn about CoastWatch and other community science opportunities, then join us for a beach walk where we’ll clean up marine debris, complete a Mile Report, and explore the shore together.

We’ll gather at 1:00pm for a moment of gratitude to highlight outstanding volunteer contributions. Afterward, enjoy an afternoon on the beach together, where we’ll explore Oregon Shores programming and community science opportunities. This year, we will also gather for a beach clean up of Mile 313 beginning at 11:30am.

Whether you’re a longtime volunteer or curious to learn more, everyone is welcome!

Link in bio to register

Come join Oregon Shores, Roads End Improvement Association, and Mile 245 adopters Lisa and Dave, on a guided walk along one of Oregon’s beach miles as we introduce the CoastWatch program, learn about other community science opportunities, and complete a mile report together. This casual, hands-on outing is open to everyone from current Adopt-a-Mile volunteers to anyone curious about getting involved. It’s a great way to learn about the power of observation, connect with others who care about the coast, and experience the beauty of the Oregon Coast.

We’ll meet at 1:00 pm at the Roads End State Recreation Site located at 5901 NW Logan Rd, Lincoln City, OR. Restrooms are available at the parking lot. We will walk one mile south and then return to the start point. Along the way we will make observations and complete a CoastWatch report.

Oregon’s iconic rocky habitats account for approximately 41% of the state’s 363-mile coastline.

This August, many organizations in the Rocky Habitat Partnership have hosted biosurvey and bioblitz events to catalog species in these special areas on iNaturalist.

On August 16th, 20 participants ranging from 17 to 83 years old, plus staff members from Oregon Shores Friends of Netarts Bay WEBS Oregon State Parks Seven Capes Bird Alliance took off down the South Cape Lookout Trail at 8am. Cheers to our participants who woke up extra early to drive from Portland to the Coast!

With binoculars in hand, some participants discussed birds flying over the sea while others explored the tidepools at their feet. Notably, three species of sea slugs, numerous tidepool sculpin, hairy hermit crabs, vibrant ochre sea stars, an array of kelp and seaweeds, mushrooms, and evergreen trees were all admired.

🔗 To read the full blog post about this South Cape Lookout BioSurvey, visit the link in bio Oregon Shores

TODAY is the final day to Fortify Our Future and make a difference for coastal conservation. We are almost to our $500,000 goal--help us finish strong!
Link in bio.

NEW blog post: Oregon's Historic Lighthouses, Photographed by CoastWatchers

From Cape Meares Lighthouse, which is the shortest lighthouse on the Oregon Coast, to Yaquina Head Lighthouse, which is known as the “brightest light on the Oregon Coast,” Oregon’s lighthouses are beacons marking both place and time. Each with their own unique light pattern, they have steadfastly cast a light along Oregon’s coast for generations.

For the last 32 years, Oregon Shores’ CoastWatch volunteers have shed light on Oregon’s beaches through time by collecting and sharing data to the Adopt-A-Mile community science project. To celebrate National Lighthouse Day this month, we compiled photos of all nine of Oregon’s historic lighthouses featuring images submitted over the years by CoastWatchers along with their Adopt-A-Mile Reports.

🔗 Read the full article here: https://oregonshores.org/news/oregons-historic-lighthouses-photographed-by-coastwatchers/