A monthly newsletter of ocean science, marine conservation and climate news.
Photo: Luke Flynt
Welcome to the Coast Range Association’s Ocean News. We are excited to share important climate & ocean news impacting the lives of Oregon’s Coastal residents.
This newsletter is supported by the Lazar Foundation and private donors. We appreciate all of our marine and coastal partners who work hard conserving Oregon’s coastal beauty and resources. This newsletter’s goal is to amplify their voices and great work.
Jim Carlson is the CRA’s coastal field staff person. He works with the network of organizations supporting the nearshore marine reserve system. Reach Jim at jim@coastrange.org.
Oregon Marine Reserve News
ROVing THE SEAFLOOR – ODFW, 07.11.19Photo: ODFW Marine Reserves Program
Up until two decades ago very few people had seen the seabed under Oregon’s nearshore waters deeper than what an average SCUBA diver could explore. This productive strip of the ocean bumps up along the shoreline, and extends about three miles out to sea. Ironically, for a state famous for exploration, the deeper portions of Oregon’s nearshore were largely unexplored until the 1990’s. All that began to change with the use of remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs. Read More
OCEANOGRAPHIC MOORING INSTALLED – ODFW, 07.11.19Photo: ODFW Marine Reserves Program
If you’re out at Roads End, north of Lincoln City, you might notice a bright orange flag bobbing above the surface of the water. It’s the most recent installation of oceanographic sensors by the ODFW Marine Reserves Program. Information from these instruments is helping us understand nearshore oceanographic conditions at Cascade Head, such as if and when hypoxic (low oxygen) conditions occur and how long they last. See More
INTERTIDAL RESEARCH – ODFW, 07.11.19
Photo: ODFW Marine Reserves Program
The ODFW Marine Reserves Program took advantage of several big, low tide series in June and early July to head out into the rocky intertidal to perform biodiversity surveys (pictured above), sea star surveys and mussel bed surveys. The intertidal biodiversity surveys are led by our collaborators at UC Santa Cruz as part of the Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe) which has been collecting long term data at over 100 intertidal sampling sites between Alaska and Mexico. You can find more about Oregon’s rocky intertidal areas and our monitoring surveys on ODFW’s website. Read More
Photo: ODFW Marine Reserves ProgramUPDATES FROM THE FIELD – ODFW, 07.11.19
ODFW completed spring hook and line surveys at Cape Falcon, and hook-and-line/longline surveys at Redfish Rocks. ODFW completed all SCUBA surveys slated for June. Surveys will start back up this fall when underwater visibility tends to improve. ODFW installed two oceanographic devices in June, one at Cascade Head and one at Cape Falcon. ODFW staff led a rocky intertidal undergraduate workshop with Dr. Selina Heppell’s students, from Oregon State University, at Otter Rock in mid-June. ODFW participated in two Bioblitz events organized by the Oregon Coast Aquarium. ODFW hosted an Oregon Marine Reserves outreach table at OMSI After Dark: Ocean event in Portland.
Ocean Issues News
ocean warming, sea level rise, acidification and other
climate change news
With More Storms and Rising Seas, Which U.S. Cities Should Be Saved First? – The New York Times, 06.19.19
WASHINGTON — As disaster costs keep rising nationwide, a troubling new debate has become urgent: If there’s not enough money to protect every coastal community from the effects of human-caused global warming, how should we decide which ones to save first? Read More
Oregon’s Tsunami Risk: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea – Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 07.01.19
Other than asteroid strikes and atomic bombs, there is no more destructive force on this planet than water. Six inches of it, flowing at a mere seven miles per hour, will knock a grown man off his feet. Two feet of it will sweep away most cars. Two cubic yards of it weighs well over a ton; if that much of it hits you at, say, twenty miles per hour, it will do as much damage to your body as a Subaru. In rough seas, a regular ocean wave can break with a force of two thousand pounds per square foot, more than enough to snap a human neck. A rogue wave—one that is more than twice the height of those around it—can sink a nine-hundred-foot ship. Read More
Rising sea levels will cost Seattle $23B by 2040, study finds – Aaron Alter, SeattlePI, 07.03.19
Climate change is happening. Scientists have known it for years, and as much as 73 percent of the American population is in agreement. Across the country and around the world, extreme weather events seem to be increasing in frequency. Read More
How Long For The Ice to Melt? – John Englander, 07.14.19
It’s surprisingly difficult to predict the time for ice to melt. You can try a simple demonstration. Take a few ice cubes and put them on your desk or table. If you need to protect furniture you can put them on a dish, but the melting water adds to the intrigue… Read More
Oregon’s Eelgrass Is Disappearing, With Potentially Big Impacts: Expert discusses vital role of marine plant—and the need to protect it – Pew Charitable Trust, 07.16.19
On many low-tide mornings, Caitlin Magel traverses the platinum-blue shallows of South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve on Oregon’s south coast, counting silky shoots of eelgrass. Read More
Call for our Coasts and Climate – Waterkeeper Alliance, by Larissa Liebmann, 07.22.19
In early 2018, the Trump administration announced plans to expand the areas open to offshore drilling. These plans would increase drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as open the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the Arctic Ocean to leasing. Fortunately, right now the administration’s proposal is on hold in response to a recent court ruling – but they could move forward at any time. This is why Congressional efforts to block these plans are so important. Will you call your Members of Congress today and ask them to support bills that prevent the expansion of offshore drilling? Read More
Upcoming Events & Activities from CRA & Partners
Coast Range Association: The Ocean & Climate Change Presentation: Key Coastal Issues & New Information
What: Chuck Willer of the Coast Range Association presents a brief overview of the Ocean & Climate Change
Where: St. James/Santiago Episcopal Church – 2490 NE Highway 101 Lincoln City Oregon 97367
For further information contact Jim Carlson (503) 801-5538 Email: jim@coastrange.org
Friends of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve Events:
Friends of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve is looking for Trailhead and Beach Ambassador Volunteers!
Location: Ecola State Park, Oswald West State Park, Rockaway Beach, & Cape Kiwanda
Contact: Ecola State Park, Oswald West and Rockaway: Ben Cox ben.cox@oregon.gov and Cape Kiwanda- Kirk Barham kirk.barham@oregon.gov
Dates needed: July 15th, 2019 through September 15th, 2019
Description:
Friends of Cape Falcon is currently looking to fill Trailhead and Beach Ambassador Volunteer positions for the remainder of the summer 2019 season. The goal of the Trailhead and Beach Ambassador program is to promote responsible and safe recreation along the Oregon Coast to locals and visitors. In this first phase of the project we will conduct on-the-job training with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Beach Rangers and other ambassador leadership. After the pilot season, trainings will be conducted to expand the program.
August 2 | Seabird Science Hike (Full, Waitlist open)
Tara DuBois, Communications Coordinator for the Cape Perpetua Collaborative, will be on hand to answer questions and share information and resources on the Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve, Oregon’s biggest marine reserve.
Marine Reserve Guided Hike – Captain Cook Trail
3:00pm
Take a stroll on the Captain Cook’s Trail with Tara DuBois, where she will explore with visitors how the Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve allows a vast web of interconnected species to thrive and survive. Oregon doesn’t stop at the beach, so let’s take a deeper dive into our local marine reserve.
Thank you for taking the time to read our new monthly newsletter Ocean News. Please consider making a financial donation to the Coast Range Association’s work to recruit and organize supporters and develop civic conservation leaders as ocean conservation voices.
Your donation will support CRA’s work to broaden the marine conservation message to include climate change impacts, ocean management, and the land-sea connection. CRA recently hired a new communications staff member to expand our capacity. Your donation will also support our work to build a strategy to increase coastal citizen involvement and the awareness of ocean issues.
July 29-30 | Ecology Talk – Marbled Murrelet Ecology & Survey
