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

April 16, 2021

Rocky Habitat Protection Proposals Now Being Considered

The view from Blacklock Point.\Photo by Alex Derr. The state of Oregon is developing a new Rocky Habitat Management Strategy, the first revision of Oregon’s policy for protecting rocky intertidal and nearshore subtidal ecosystems since 1994. Oregon Shores has been actively engaged in this process for the past three years. We are now in the crucial final phase—...Read more
April 16, 2021

Public Invited to Help Guide Beach Monitoring Program

Short Sand Beach in northern Tillamook County, one of the beaches proposed for monitoring.\Photo courtesy of ODFW. The Oregon Health Authority’s Beach Monitoring Program is the public’s means of learning whether the waters washing our beaches is polluted. All too often, the water quality testing provided by this program demonstrates that it is. As the program...Read more
April 11, 2021

Snowy Plover Nesting Season Begins

Snowy plover exclusion area.\Photo courtesy of USFWS. Oregon’s conservationists and resource agencies have been engaged in a decades-long effort to restore the state’s population of the Western Snowy Plover, an endangered shorebird that nests on Oregon beaches (the only shorebird that breeds here). We are now in the nesting season, the crucial period for...Read more
March 16, 2021

Work for a Foam-Free Oregon

marine_debris_styrofoam_john_chapman.jpeg Oregon Shores has joined other groups in supporting House Bill 2617, the Foam-Free Oregon bill. Expanded polystyrene, often known by its trademarked name, Styrofoam, is a form of foamed plastic commonly used for food containers and packaging. This disposable packaging is usually thrown away after...Read more
March 15, 2021

Environmental Steward Certificate Program Always Open

Ed Joyce (right) and Jesse Jones (center) at a training session for the marine debris survey, a project which would help participants qualify for the Environmental Steward Certificate.\Photo by Patricia Jensen. Oregon Shores and CoastWatch partners with Clatsop Community College (CCC) in sponsoring the Environmental Steward Certificate program, an innovative...Read more
Siuslaw watershed during the most recent king tide.\Photo by Rena Olson, with aerial support from Lighthawk.
March 10, 2021

King Tides Project Rose this Winter

Siuslaw watershed during the most recent king tide.\Photo by Rena Olson, with aerial support from Lighthawk. The King Tides Project has now completed its 11th year. This citizen science effort, organized by CoastWatch and the Oregon Coastal Management Program, drew the submission of more than 400 photos, documenting the highest reach of the year's highest tides...Read more
February 10, 2021

King Tides Photo Contest Winners Announced

Winning photo is a comparison shot showing the Siuslaw Marina and Store at Cushman on Hwy 126 during a king tide and a regular high tide.\Photo by John Bragg. The past winter’s edition of the King Tides Project, the 11th year of this annual citizen science effort, had a new feature. This time around, we partnered with the Oregon Coast Visitors Association to...Read more
February 10, 2021

State Parks Considers Beach Driving Ban

cape_kiwanda_beach_use_sonja_peterson.jpg Pandemic restrictions led to closed beach access points and prohibitions of driving on Oregon’s beaches. A lot of coastal residents and visiting beach-lovers appreciated the quiet beaches and want to keep them that way. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), aka State Parks, is...Read more
February 9, 2021

Feds Uphold State’s Jordan Cove Denial

Proposed Jordan Cove LNG export terminal, artist's conception.\Image courtesy of Jordan Cove Energy Project. Oregon Shores has been fighting the effort to site an LNG (liquefied natural gas) export terminal on Coos Bay’s North Spit for well over a decade. There have been many twists and turns to the saga. But the latest development is extremely important for...Read more
December 23, 2020

Major Land Use Victory Blocks Jordan Cove

Protest against Jordan Cove in North Bend.\Photo by Jody McCaffree. The Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) has awarded Oregon Shores and allies a significant, multi-part victory in our efforts to block the proposed Jordan Cove LNG export terminal. In a decision handed down on Dec. 22, LUBA overturned Coos County’s permits for the Jordan Cove Energy Project’s...Read more