Do the Bioblitz on N. Oregon Coast: Unusual Fun on Beaches of Manzanita, Nearby

Published 07/27/23 at 5:41 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Manzanita, Oregon) – Wanna feel like a scientist making a discovery on the Oregon coast? And still have a monumental day at the beach?

The North Coast Land Conservancy (NCLC) group is letting you do just that, as the group's Cape Falcon Marine Reserve Program is hosting a month-long BioBlitz from August 15 to September 15. You get to goof around the beaches of the area, such as Oswald West State Park, Short Sand Beach, Falcon Cove Beach and Manzanita's Neahkahnie Beach – but with a purpose.

A bioblitz is where various members of a community fan out in an area and look for animals and plants – a kind of inventory of what is in this north Oregon coast biome. The idea is to identify and record as many species as you can within a certain time frame, which allows scientists to collect long-term datasets about the area.

How to participate? First, said the NCLC, you download the iNaturalist app for your mobile device and then join the project through that app.

“Then, any time during the bioblitz, head down to Short Sand Beach, Falcon Cove Beach and Neahkahnie Beach to look for various species and document your observations in the app,” the NCLC said. “Even if you don’t know exactly what something is, don’t worry. Researchers and other users from around the world work to identify all species recorded.”

In addition to a very different kind of fun on an Oregon coast beach, you may win a prize. The person with the most species logged during the project's month will win a marine reserve gift basket.

To learn more about this – including how to use iNaturalist and the value of participating – watch their 2022 training session video. Instructions and insights are still relevant, NCLC said.

Don’t forget to also share your observations on social media, tagging North Coast Land Conservancy (@nclctrust) and including #CFMRBioBlitz2023.

The NCLC is also hosting a special outdoors event with a group effort for the bioblitz.

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On Saturday, September 2, everyone meets at Short Sand Beach at 8:30 a.m. for the Group BioBlitz Excursion. There, NCLC Marine Program Coordinator Angela Whitlock will lead the group down to the beach and get to know this fascinating, stunning little cove. You'll be looking at it in a new way, contributing to the collection of valuable data. Registration will open on Aug. 1 and is required for participation.

See more about the Falcon Cove area, Short Sand Beach and Oswald West State Park at the Manzanita / Rockaway Beach Virtual Tours from Oregon Coast Beach Connection.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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