Ocean Field Trip Recap

by Marianne Nelson

To celebrate the passage of legislation creating the first two Marine Reserves in Oregon, 50 “inlanders” from Portland boarded a Bus project bus on July 25th and headed to the coast to meet with coastal locals who had worked hard to get the legislation passed.  The outing was sponsored by Our Ocean, a coalition of conservationists, scientists, ocean users, local leaders and business people from around the state working to preserve Oregon’s coastal legacy. Audubon Society of Portland is part of the coalition, and several of its members were on this trip.

At Oswald West State Park the bus was met by the Cannon Beach Ocean Action Team.  These folks provided lunch (locally caught tuna smoked last night!) and then a presentation down on the beach. State representative Debbie Boone thanked everyone for their hard work.  She said that after eight years of arguing, the Marine Reserves legislation passed unanimously only because citizens, from both coast and inland, got involved and contacted their legislators.

The Cape Falcon site, in the ocean adjacent to Oswald West State Park, was recommended as an area for further evaluation, but was not chosen as one of the first two Reserves. There is still a lot of work to be done.

A short bus ride then took the group to Netarts Bay, where we all were sworn in as “Netartians” for the day and promised to protect this healthy ecosystem.  On the beach there was a presentation on the work being done to preserve locally grown oysters. A local charter captain offered boat rides out to Netarts Spit. Meanwhile fresh tuna was being grilled, and fire built to roast marshmallows for Smores.  Susan Allan, Coalition Director, invited  inlanders and locals to mingle and talk about the future of Oregon’s Marine Reserves.

After everyone boarded the bus for the return trip to Portland, each attendee was given

-         a map of the Cape Falcon site recommendation

-         “The Science of Marine Reserves” booklet

-         DVD of “West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health”

-         DVD of “Common Ground III.