Ocean News Archive

All ocean news articles

February 8, 2020

Public Comment Period Opens for Rocky Habitat Plan

Otter Rock tidepools at low tide.\Photo by Laurel Hillmann. More than two years ago, Oregon Shores successfully urged the state’s Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) to begin a review of Oregon’s policies protecting rocky intertidal habitat on the coast. As we argued, these policies hadn’t been reviewed since the 1990s, and the plan that had been adopted then...Read more
September 6, 2019

Beach Water Quality Monitoring Continues to Reveal Pollution

Frolicking in ocean waters--check to make sure they aren't polluted.\Photo by Sonja Peterson. The Oregon Beach Monitoring Program , based at the Oregon Health...Read more
May 29, 2019

Orca Awareness Month Declared in Oregon

For 13 years, June has been proclaimed Orca Awareness Month by the Governor of Washington — and for the first time in 2016, Orca Awareness Month was celebrated in Oregon and in British Columbia as well! The American Cetacean Society’s Oregon Chapter kicked things off early with an Orca Awareness Day at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. Any community group, science center, non-profit...Read more
Marine debris survey training in progress.|Photo by Dennis White.
March 15, 2019

CoastWatch Has Key Roles in Marine Debris Efforts

Marine debris survey training in progress. | Photo by Dennis White. CoastWatchers have been actively cleaning beaches of marine debris since the program was founded more than 25 years ago, and CoastWatch has had an organized marine debris project for the past eight years. In the wake of the 2011 Japanese tsunami, Oregon Shores (through CoastWatch) joined with...Read more
Port Orford Quest. Photo by Cait Goodwin.
September 4, 2018

Questing for Natural Treasures

People participating in a Quest in Port Orford. | Photo by Cait Goodwin. Quests are fun, free-choice learning adventures that use clues and hints to encourage participants to discover the natural, cultural and historical "treasures" of place and community. Suitable for groups of all ages, self-guided Quests allow lifelong learners to explore parks, trails and...Read more
January 30, 2018

February 6 Rally to Protest Oil Drilling Scheme

Oregon Shores is joining with many other conservation groups to sponsor a rally on the State Capitol steps to protest the Trump administration’s suddenly announced plan to open Oregon’s ocean waters to oil drilling leases (along with almost all United States marine areas). The rally takes places at 2:30 p.m., in conjunction with a hearing by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)...Read more
January 12, 2018

Oregon Rises to Oppose Ocean Oil Drilling

On Jan. 4, the Trump Administration abruptly announced that it planned to open 90% of U.S ocean waters to oil drilling. Lease sales would be offered in 25 of the 26 areas into which America’s federal ocean waters are divided, including the area off Oregon and Washington. At virtually the same time, the administration also announced new proposed rules that would weaken the safety regulations that...Read more
Image of top portion of Oregon coast map, showing title.
December 9, 2017

New Oregon Coast Conservation Map Available

As part of our 2017 celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Oregon Beach Bill, Oregon Shores collaborated with Raven Maps to produce a new large-format, high resolution map of the Oregon coast, emphasizing public lands. The map is now available for order , in time to serve as a beautiful holiday gift for your coast-loving friends and relatives. The new map highlights...Read more
Derelict Japanese fishing vessel, debris from the tsunami, on Arcadia Beach.\Photo by Tiffany Boothe, Seaside Aquarium.
December 4, 2017

CoastWatcher-Aided Tsunami Debris Research Published

Derelict Japanese fishing vessel, debris from the tsunami, on Arcadia Beach.\Photo by Tiffany Boothe, Seaside Aquarium. On Dec. 2, a derelict 38-foot Japanese fishing boat, debris from the 2011 tsunami that devastated Japan, washed up on Arcadia Beach south of Cannon Beach. Six years after the earthquake and tsunami on the other side of the Pacific, we’re still...Read more
Thor's well, one of Oregon's premier rocky shore areas.\Photo by Bruce Swenson.
October 4, 2017

Rocky Shore Policy Review Gets Reinforcements

Thor's well, one of Oregon's premier rocky shore areas.\Photo by Bruce Swenson. A becalmed effort by Oregon’s Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) to review and update Oregon’s Rocky Shore Strategy in the Territorial Sea Plan recently got a boost. Deanna Caracciolo joined the staff of the Oregon Coastal Management Program, which supports the OPAC work, as an...Read more