CoastWatch, a project of the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition,
involves volunteers who adopt one-mile segments
of the Oregon Coast. We now have almost 1,050 CoastWatchers,
and the number is growing all the time. The program, now eight years
old, has been featured by everyone from CNN to Oregon Coast Magazine, and
received SOLV's community group of the year award for 2001.
CoastWatchers keep track of both natural changes and human impacts.
The minimum commitment asked is simply four visits to the adopted
mile per year, during which the volunteer is asked to fill out a quarterly
report. (Of course, we hope that people will monitor their
miles far more often, and most do.) Information gathered is shared where
it will
do the most good--it goes not only to Oregon Shores, the parent
group, but to regulatory agencies, local jurisdictions or neighbors along
the mile in question.
CoastWatchers track such phenomena as erosion, beached birds and
changes in the material in the driftline. They pick up litter
(quite a few have set up organized litter pick-ups), report such things as
vehicles outside posted limits or harvesting violations, and take a
long-term interest in land use planning and State Parks management
plans as they affect their miles.
For more information on how you can support the program or become
a voluntreer, call or email Phillip Johnson at
503-238-4450 or orshores@teleport.com
