Exploring Oregon's Marine Reserves

Last week I was invited to attend the first Oregon Marine Reserve Summit in Cannon Beach, Oregon. The Summit brought together conservationists, scientists, educators, coastal business people, state park rangers and agencies that form the Oregon Marine Reserve Partnership. The Partnership is working in the Oregon coast on successfully implementing their five marine reserves that were established in 2012 to restore and sustain Oregon’s marine ecosystems.

It was really interesting to learn and compare about all the wonderful work being done north of our state border and making sure future generations are able to enjoy, explore and learn about their underwater parks. As part of the San Diego MPA Community Collaborative and being part of California’s network of MPAs, it’s important to learn from our state neighbors on our shared efforts to conserve our marine ecosystems.

The Oregon coast is a stunning place to visit, and if you ever get a chance, I recommend to take a tour through the coast and enjoy the beautiful views of their five marine reserves. I got a chance to explore Cape Falcon Marine Reserve which is located adjacent to the beautiful Oswald West State Park and it is the newest reserve to be established. This marine reserve is 12.4 square miles and it’s the second largest in Oregon, its ocean habitat includes a rich array of plants and animals like rockfish, halibut and thousands of nesting birds like the common murres, black oystercatchers, marbled murrelets and bald eagles (I saw one!).

Thank you to the Oregon Marine Reserve Partnership for the invitation and I can’t wait to reconnect with many groups and scientists in the near future to collaborate on our efforts to conserve and protect our marine ecosystems for future generations.

By Diane Castaneda, Marine Program Coordinator