Volunteers Needed for Garden Near Coos Bay: Help Out Oregon Coast Landmark at Shore Acres

Published 03/26/25 at 7:15 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Coos Bay, Oregon) – Here's your chance to help out an Oregon landmark: assist staff there do a big cleanup job. (Photo Friends of Shore Acres)

Next to Shore Acres State Park and its occasional oceanic madness sits a literal garden of tranquility. A sizable chunk of the headland is an abrupt shift in environment from Oregon coast mists wandering through the air to a lush place full of colors and a still pond. Why Shore Acres Waves Are So Big: Height Measurement, Geology | S. Oregon Coast

That place – Shore Acres garden – needs a bit of help.

Shore Acres State Park and Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) are inviting community members to roll up their sleeves and join its Garden Volunteer Days, held monthly from April through September. This initiative offers participants the chance to assist park rangers in maintaining the picturesque gardens located at 89526 Cape Arago Highway, Coos Bay.

Volunteers will gain hands-on experience in tasks such as rose pruning and preserving the historic lily pond. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the following dates:

On April 18, the focus will be on pond cleanup, including debris removal, pond lily fertilization, and shrub trimming. Volunteers aged 18 and older are welcome. Rubber boots are recommended, as participants should expect to get wet.

May 16, June 20, July 18, and September 19 will center on general garden cleanup, which involves weeding, trimming, mulching, planting, rose pruning, and removing invasive plants. These dates are open to volunteers aged 14 and older.

On August 15, the effort will shift to removing English ivy, an invasive species. This task is also open to volunteers aged 14 and older.

“Participants should be prepared to travel a short distance on uneven ground at the service site. Service will take place outdoors, and volunteers should be comfortable wearing work gloves and using hand tools,” said OPRD. “Gloves, hand tools and morning snacks are provided. Bring a lunch.”

For more details or questions, reach out to Park Ranger Jess Hayward via email at Jess.hayward@oprd.oregon.gov or call 541-888-3732.

Shore Acres State Park, home to formal gardens featuring flora from around the world, boasts a Japanese-style garden with a serene lily pond and two curated rose gardens. Visitors can enjoy blooms year-round, from early spring bulbs in February to vibrant dahlias that last into mid-October.

During the holidays it explodes with Christmas lights in one of the largest displays in the whole state.

There's a lot of history in the park, including the Simpson Mansion (whose inhabitants built the gardens) and then the geological attractions nearby. One set of ghosts down near Coos Bay is rather spectacular and visible almost year-round: the ghost forests of Sunset Bay. Yet you never hear about them.

They have officially been carbon-dated at 800 AD – about the time the Vikings started raiding England. What created them is a bit of a mystery: it's not as certain as the explanation for other beach ghost forests. The Unheralded Ghost Forests of South Oregon Coast / Coos Bay in Photos

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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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