Monday, February 26, 2007
Coastal Conference: Florence March 2-3
Sponsored by CoastWatch. Lane Community College in Florence. Begins 4Pm on Friday w/ presentation by Cameron LeFollette on "Land Use 101"Friday - 9:00 to 4pm, Presentations by Nancy Steinberg, Roger Hart, Phillip Johnson, and Vicki Osis. For more info - see: http://www.oregonshores.org/
Friday, February 23, 2007
SOLV Beach Clean-up March 24
The Surfrider Foundation's Portland chapter will be partnering with SOLV for a beach clean-up at Gearhart (north coast) on Saturday March 24 from 10 a. - 1 p. If you would like to volunteer please contact Noelle at portland@surfrider.org
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Reedsport Wave Energy
On Feb 5, Surfrider met with Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) and state agency staff to discuss potential recreation and public safety impacts of the proposed wave energy development off Reedsport. The meeting was a chance to provide input, present concerns, and request additional information. Most input received on the project thus far has been very favorable, but recreational, ecological, and public safety issues still need to be addressed. At this juncture, it seems unlikely that wave height reduction will be a major concern. The project area is north of Umpqua river mouth and the "wave shadow" would not overlap with prime locations for virtually any swell direction including NW. Within the "shadow"(north spit sand dunes), height reduction would not likely be significant for the full array of 200 buoys, although more info on this is needed. The issue of behavioral response of sharks to ambient electromagnetic fields was also discussed. While no available science indicates there is elevated risk for surfers or swimmers, no studies indicate that there is not. Accordingly, Oregon Chapter is making formal requests to OPT and OSU to support investigation of this important research question. Also, Oregon Chapter is participating in a science conference this spring discussing potential ecological impacts of project. For more info on ecological issues see first comment to this post. Big thanks to Stiv and Lloyd for their continuing research support on this issue.Sunday, February 04, 2007
Salem Hearings
Now is your opportunity to tell legislators to Protect the Oregon Beach Bill by reforming Measure 37 to exclude claims along our shoreline. The Joint Special Committee on Land Use Fairness is reviewing issues raised by Measure 37 and is currently accepting public comments at the Capitol on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5pm. Oregon's sandy beaches are threatened by an unanticipated consequence of Measure 37 which may allow coastal property owners to file claims to develop beach dunes or recieve financial compensation for not doing so. If you're interested in providing comments on this important issue, please contact pstauffer@surfrider.org. Remember - it's for the beach!!Pacific HS Presents to OPAC
On Jan 29, Pacific High School students presented their Blue Water Task Force program to 60 + audience members at an Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) reception in Port Orford. The event was sponsored by the Port Orford Ocean Resource Team (POORT) and was attended by OPAC members, elected officials, agency staff, and community leaders. The presentation described how student water quality monitoring at Pacific High School is linked to the local fishing fleet's ocean management efforts. With establishment of a lab at PHS, sampling in Port Orford has recently increased from 3 testing locations to 6, including 2-3 freshwater sites. The Port Orford Ocean Resource Team (POORT) has engaged as formal partners in this effort, and data collected is integrated into POORT’s nearshore monitoring program. Special thanks to Michael Smith (PHS) Christi Watson (PHS) and Leesa Cobb (POORT).
