3 lovely getaways help sea life near Cannon Beach
It’s rare to see tufted puffins in Puget Sound, but you can find them at Cannon Beach, Oregon. Image: "Tufted Puffin" by Mick Thompson1 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
1. Protect puffins at Haystack Rock
One of the last remaining places to see migratory puffins in Oregon is at Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach,about 1 1/2 hours from Portland. Some say it’s the last place to see puffins in the lower 48.
Haystack Rock, the monolith that dominates Cannon Beach, is home to a declining population of beautiful clown-faced tufted puffins. They spend winter at sea, and every spring come back to nest. Twenty years ago, there were about 600 puffins, but breeding pairs are now down to about 140. Please note: The entire rock is an Oregon Marine Garden and National Wildlife Refuge.
Let’s protect this place!
Stewardship: Puffins are funny looking and fun to watch. During nesting season, the Haystack Rock Awareness Program greets Haystack Rock visitors, shares info on wildlife and keeps an eye on the puffins. Click the link above to find out how you can help out with stewardship.
Fund puffin conservation- buy a sweatshirt: Sales of Protect Our Puffins sweatshirts help spread the word about the puffins’ plight. To contribute to puffin conservation and education on the Oregon Coast click Protect our Puffins All proceeds go to puffin education and research.
2. Volunteer to monitor birds, sea stars, debris
Be a citizen scientist…at the beach!
Volunteers are needed for vital ocean research efforts. Watching seabirds or monitoring sea stars can help conservation efforts. Choose your beach and your citizen science project. Training is free!
Let’s protect this place!
Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition has a complete list of citizen science projects. Online trainings offered, free!
3. Help create an Oregon rainforest reserve
Head two hours from Portland to spectacular Oswald Beach State Park and take a half mile walk through one of the best preserved coastal rainforests in Oregon. The trail leads to idyllic Short Sand Beach. Or wander the bluff trail to Cape Falcon and its magnificent ocean views. The ocean area is already conserved as an Oregon Maritime Reserve.… But the forested summits and watersheds are not.
Enter North Coast Land Conservancy. They have a vision of creating a Rainforest Reserve. When completed, the Rainforest Reserve will encompass a 32-square-mile conservation corridor stretching from the summits of 3,000-foot peaks to Short Sand Beach and the nearby rocky reefs.
Let’s protect this place!
Conservation at this scale—ridgeline to reef—is unprecedented in Oregon and it’s about to become reality. The North Coast Land Conservancy has raised $11.8 million and is in a complicated transaction phase. Here’s your chance to pitch in and make it real for future generations!
For more information on protections to Cape Falcon, check out Friends of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve. Stewardship opportunities are often posted.