Cape Falcon Marine Reserve presents Oswald West Action Day – North Coast Citizen

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Oregons Beach Bill right! Come out and explore the coastal edge with the Surfrider Foundation Portland Chapter, Friends of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve and our other local community partners on Saturday, May 20 at 10am. Learn about all the different citizen science projects focused on monitoring and protecting Oswald West State Park and the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve. Join us in protecting the Oregon we all know and love! FREE BBQ and surf / hang time afterwards!

Agenda for the Day:

10:00-10:30 Meet + intro to the day (Lower Parking Lot at Short Sands)

10:30-12:30 Citizen Science adventures at or around Oswald West State Park

12:30 Hands Across the Sands (www.handsacrossthesand.com/) photo shoot @ noon,

12:45-2:00 FREE BBQ with locally-sourced fish tacos @ picnic area (or possibly a later gathering at Public Coast brewing if the weather is bad).

Citizen-Science Choose your own Adventures:

Seabird Monitoring and hike on the Coastal Edge: Join Audubon Society of Portland and Friends of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve for a fun hike out to Audubons monitoring site at Devils Cauldron in Oswald West State Park. Devils Cauldron is a short (0.25 miles), easy hike open to all ages. Experience the unique story of our coastline, from natural history to ongoing land and ocean conservation activities, including the new Cape Falcon Marine Reserve and Audubon Society of Portlands efforts to monitor seabirds.

If youre up for more, continue on Elk Flats Trail for a 1.5-mile moderate to difficult hike to Short Sands Beach and the rest of the days festivities. The Elk Flats Trail, which leads hikers through a variety of forest structures, stunning old growth trees, and to vistas of the marine reserve, is steep in some sections. Hikers should prepare for slick, muddy trails and to scamper over and under sizable fallen trees. Please wear sturdy shoes, dress for coastal Oregon weather, and bring water.

Clean Beaches and Water: Surfrider Foundation and CoastWatch are teaming up at the beautiful Falcon Cove Beach to highlight efforts to keep our waterways and beaches clean. Explore the monitoring sites at Falcon Cove Beach and learn about the Blue Water Task Force program and marine debris monitoring efforts going on coast wide. Discover where the trash on our beaches is coming from, how you can get involved, and all the partners that are contributing from local volunteers to schools to national organizations. If you havent spent time on Falcon Cove Beach, this is a great opportunity to view this remote coastal beach along the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve.

Short Sand Intertidal Exploration Tour: Discover the amazing creatures living along the coastal edge. Hunting for sea stars will be the main objective during this outing highlighting the impacts of Sea Star Wasting Syndrome. Haystack Rock Awareness Program and The Nature Conservancy will team up to take participants on a tour of the rocky intertidal areas at Short Sand beach. These organizations support coast wide and local efforts to monitor sea star populations. Recent surveys have shown a decrease in diseased animals and the first signs of the populations recovering. Along the way, you never know what you will discover! From dueling anemones, a sea stars patient hunt for its next meal, to predatory snails. Its another world to discover. Join the fun!

Join us in celebrating our coastline and learning how you can do your part to protect our legacy for generations to come! #LongLiveOregonBeaches!

This event is part of the Explore Nature series of hikes, walks, paddles and outdoor adventures. Explore Nature events are hosted by a consortium of volunteer community and non-profit organizations, and are meaningful nature-based experiences highlight the unique beauty of Tillamook County and the work being done to preserve and conserve the areas natural resources and natural resource-based economy. Learn more at http://www.explorenaturetillamookcoast.com.

Register on Eventbrite: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/oswald-west-action-day-citizen-science-extravaganza-tickets-33919489105

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Cape Falcon Marine Reserve presents Oswald West Action Day - North Coast Citizen