We can protect Oregon’s rocky coastal habitats, helping to ensure that Oregon’s amazing tide pools, underwater kelp forests, nearshore reefs, and offshore rocks and islands continue to inspire future generations.
Rocky Habitats
Rocky shores, reefs and offshore rocks and islands make up about 41% of our Oregon coastline. State and federal policies, strategies, and rules have long been in place to manage and protect coastal habitats. One of these strategies, Oregon's Rocky Habitat Management Strategy was recently updated.
The newly adopted strategy includes the ability for individuals and communities to be an active part of designing and implementing new goals and management based on the best available information.
Why this matters:
What we are doing
Working together to support new protective designations, we can create more awareness of rocky habitats, support important research to better understand our changing ocean, and keep these amazing areas safe while providing equitable public access.
Our proposals to designate Cape Lookout and Cape Foulweather as marine conservation areas (MCAS) have been approved! They will now be listed in the Rocky Habitat Management Strategy
We are supporting and working with other community organizations that are seeking other rocky habitat designations recommended by OPAC
We were instrumental in updating the Rocky Habitat Management Strategy so that community groups and individuals in the future can propose additional rocky habitats for site-specific management
What’s next?
We will be working with other community interests, to begin planning implementation of the educational and community science recommendations for the Cape Foulweather Complex MCA and Cape Lookout MCA. There are also opportunities for community involvement in developing a management plan for the newly designated Fogarty Creek MCA.
Get involved!
Contact us if you would like to volunteer!
See our FAQs to learn more about rocky habitats!
Helpful Links:
Rocky Habitat Management Strategy Proposals Adopted!
Birds that rely on our coastal habitats
Oregon Ocean Information: Rocky Habitat Management Strategy
Citizen's Guide to Oregon's Coastal Management Program