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Environmental Programs Scheduled for Oregon Coast

Seal Rock

(Oregon Coast) – A variety of informative nature lectures and environmental presentations will take place on the Oregon coast in the next few weeks, including the annual Coast Conference, from the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, which will now be held on the south coast and the north coast.

Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition (OSCC) is the parent organization of CoastWatch, a group of volunteers who monitor Oregon beaches for environmental issues and natural changes.

There are presentations on coastal geology, ecology, global warming and a special work day for volunteers to help restore river lands around Coos Bay.

It starts September 26, with a preview of slide presentations, where feedback from the public on these initial versions is welcome.

Yachats

On Tuesday, Sept. 26, 7 p.m. at the Yachats Commons, geologist Roger Hart will present “Where Has All the Sand Gone?: Oregon’s Beaches, Dunes and Buried Forests.” A CoastWatcher himself, Hart will survey the geological forces that shape our sandy shorelines, concentrating on sand supply, erosion, and the likely impacts of global warming.

On Wednesday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m. at the Newport Public Library, environmental educator Nancy Steinberg will preview her new slide talk, “Connections: A Tale of Rocky Shores and the Ocean Next Door.” Steinberg pulls together new information about the ecology of rocky shorelines and their interactions with the nearshore ocean, drawing the links between microscopic life and globe-spanning currents.

The presentations will be richly informative in their present state, said Phillip Johnson, a spokesman for CoastWatch. “But we will also benefit greatly from your feedback, as both Roger and Nancy work to put their presentations into final shape before they premier at Coast Conference North on October 7.”

Yachats Commons is at 4th St. and Hwy. 101 in the heart of Yachats; the Newport Public Library is at 35 N.W. Nye St. in Newport.

Just south of Newport

In past years, the OSCC has held a major, two-day each autumn in Newport. This year the plan is different. The 19th annual Coast Conference has been divided into two more intimate, one-day events.

Coast Conference North, featuring speakers and workshops on beaches, tidepools, ocean habitats and water quality, comes to Tillamook Bay Community College on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The free public event is the 19th annual Coast Conference, sponsored by the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition. For many years, Oregon Shores has held a two-day event in Newport each fall. This year, the tradition has been expanded geographically. In addition to the one-day Tillamook event, Coast Conference South will be held in Coos Bay Nov. 4.

“We have a lot of information to share about the coastal environment and things we can do to protect it,” says Phillip Johnson, director of Oregon Shores’ CoastWatch volunteer program. “Instead of asking everyone to come to the central coast, this year we’re trying to bring this educational opportunity to people on the north and south coasts.”

Cape Kiwanda

The event will feature two slide presentations specially commissioned as part of Oregon Shores’ Oregon Coastal Ocean and Intertidal Conservation Project. One, by environmental educator Nancy Steinberg, deals with intertidal ecology and the interconnections between rocky shorelines and the nearshore ocean. The other, by geologist Roger Hart, deals with beaches, dunes, sand supply and erosion, with emphasis on the potential impacts of global warming on Oregon’s shoreline.

Robin Hartmann, Oregon Shores’ Ocean Program director, will speak on the ocean environment and efforts to protect it, including the campaign to create marine reserves off Oregon’s coast. Hartmann will also lead an intensive workshop on organizing on ocean conservation issues.

Other workshops will deal with citizen involvement in monitoring water quality, led by Markus Mead of the Surfrider Foundation, and use of Oregon’s land use process by citizens to protect water quality, led by Cameron La Follette, Oregon Shores’ Land Use Program director, together with Tom Merrell, manager of the Arch Cape Water and Sanitary District, who will discuss the problems confronted in managing sewage and the role that citizens can play.

Workshops, following a brief plenary session at 10 a.m., will begin at 10:15 and run through 11:45. Speakers will be heard in the afternoon, beginning at 1 p.m.

Coast Conference North will be held at Tillamook Bay Community College’s First Street Campus, Room 9, 2510 First St. in Tillamook. While registration is free, those attending the conference will be asked to register so that the college will receive credit for providing this educational experience. Audience members can register on the day of the event, or can pre-register by calling TBCC at (503) 842-8222, and citing course number CED 8307-01.

Near Tillamook

Lunch will not be provided as part of the conference. Classrooms at the college will be available for brown bagging, or participants can get lunch on their own in the community.

For information about the event, contact Phillip Johnson, (503) 238-4450, orshores@teleport.com.

Those on the south coast can mark their calendars for Nov. 4, when Coast Conference South comes to Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay. This version will feature some of the same speakers, including a chance to see the new presentations on shoreline environments, with a few differences. More details will be announced later, Johnson said.

In the realm of global warming, two slide presentations dealing with the possible impacts of this atmospheric condition will be featured at the annual meeting of the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, Saturday, October 21, at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. The talks, free and open to the public, are from 2 - 4:30 p.m. in the HMSC auditorium.

Speaking at 2 p.m. will be internationally renowned nature photographer Gary Braasch on "Viewing Climate Change: A Tour of Global Impacts in Words and Pictures.” Braasch will take the audience on a planetary slide tour, surveying current and future impacts of global warming on a wide range of landscapes and habitats, with special emphasis on coasts and on Oregon. Using images and information gathered during his years of preparation for his forthcoming book on the topic, Braasch will present a highly visual interpretation of the effects of climate change.

At 3:15 p.m., geologist Roger Hart will speak on “Where Has All the Sand Gone?: Oregon’s Beaches, Dunes and Buried Forests” (the same presentation that will be offered at the Coast Conferences). Hart’s slide talk explores beach formation and erosion and the natural processes affecting Oregon’s shoreline, with a special focus on the possible impacts of climate change with its accompanying sea level rise and intensified storms.

Oregon Shores will hold its official annual meeting just prior to the presentations, 1-1:50 in Room 30-32 at the HMSC. Non-members are welcome to attend to hear updates on the group’s work from Oregon Shores staffers and learn more about coastal issues, although only members can vote on business matters.

Public Invited to Help Restore New River Area

On Saturday, Sept. 30, members of the public are invited to work with the Bureau of Land Management to restore lands in the New River area (on the border of Coos and Curry counties) as part of National Public Lands Day, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Volunteers will help to improve meadow habitat for birds and to install a bench and interpretive sign at the historic Westmoor cranberry bog. Participants will receive a free t-shirt and lunch. Wear appropriate work clothes - all tools and safety equipment will be provided. For information or to RSVP call the Coos Bay District office at (541) 751-4301. The work party will take place at Storm Ranch (Croft Lake Lane off 101, approx. 8.6 mi. south of Bandon or 4.6 miles north of Langlois).

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