Nature First for Oregon's Beaches

UPDATE 07/01 - Near victory as both pieces of legislation have successfully moved through Oregon's legislative process -One has been signed by the Governor and the other awaiting her signature. More details below:

Surfrider is supporting two pieces of legislation during the 2025 Oregon legislative session to better require and direct more nature-based solutions to protect Oregon's public beaches and areas of lost access and coastal hazards from continued erosion and shoreline armoring.

Traditional shoreline management responses to coastal hazards such as erosion on Oregon's beaches has relied heavily on rock armoring. These hard structures of piled rock known as rip rap and seawalls temporarily protect private property behind the shore, but are furthering erosion, shrinking and eventual loss of Oregon's public beaches. The solution is to incorporate more dynamic "nature-based" shoreline management methods such as natural cobble revetments, native dune restoration and natural berms that help nourish the beaches sand supply. While Oregon's land use goals encourage these types of "non-structural " methods over "structural" solutions, even limiting many shoreline areas where it is allowed. The problem is there is little guidance, local rules or direction on these more nature-based strategies thus rarely considered as an alternative or even implemented in areas where rip rap is (and even isn't) allowed.

Surfrider is supporting two pieces of legislation during the 2025 Oregon legislative session to help further permitting and guidance for these more nature-based solutions for Oregon's beaches. Our hope is to elevate these alternatives and make them actually more viable and practical as solutions. Oregon's public beaches are too important to lose and we must begin incorporating strategies that protect and help nourish these incredibly important recreational and ecological areas before this legacy is lost.

1) The ocean shore permitting legislation (HB 2925) offers opportunities to further permitting such nature-based efforts. Managed as the "ocean shore" under Oregon Parks and Recreation (OPRD), Oregon's beaches and public access are caught in the coastal squeeze between static development and mother nature's rising seas and increased erosion. This bill supports OPRD's ability to adapt permitting along the ocean shore to better manage our changing coastlines and preserve our public beaches.

2) While HB 2925 offers opportunities to further permitting such efforts, the "nature first" legislation (SB 504) introduces the idea of "bioengineering" coastal solutions. While not currently supported by Surfrider given some concerns with land use consistency and potential loopholes for development, the bill is in the direction of better addressing nature-based solutions. We are actively advocating during the legislative process for amendments that replace the terminology of "bioengineering" with "nature-based solutions" and better aligning criteria for public access, ecological and wildlife considerations and non-structural language that compliment statewide planning Goals 17 and 18. 

More and more private property owners and even public resource managers such as the Oregon Department of Transportation are seeking exceptions to land use law to permit rock armoring, rip rap and seawalls where not allowed, rather than seeking alternative solutions. In many areas, this can and will mean the complete sacrifice of public beaches, access to the shoreline and more hazardous beach conditions for public safety. If Oregon's Beaches are to be forever, we must advocate for more nature-based solutions and promote pathways for these alternatives.  This is a key strategy of our Oregon Beaches Forever campaign here in Oregon.