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Coming climate change could affect the Oregon coast in many ways, from sea level rise and increased erosion to droughts and floods to damaged infrastructure and altered ecosystems. How can we respond creatively and thoughtfully to these challenges, preserving natural and human communities in the midst of a shifting landscape? How can we adapt?
To answer these vital questions, Oregon Shores created the Climate Action Program.
We have now launched a special pilot project in Lincoln County to explore the issue of adaptation to climate change. The Coastal Climate Change Adaptation Project will organize teams of county citizens to examine the issues, assist with broad public education on climate change and draft action plans. (All Lincoln County residents are invited to participate in this project.)
Our goal is eventually to work with citizens in all coastal communities to prepare far-sighted adaptation plans for climate change.
To learn more or to volunteer, contact: Paris Edwards, Volunteer Coordinator, (541) 414-9371.
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| | EVENTS | | | Wed Jan 11 Climate Project Reschedules Wetlands Talk for January 26 |   Mary Kentula
The meeting will feature speaker Mary Kentula, a wetland ecologist from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Western Ecology Division. She has studied and worked in Corvallis for over 30 years, earning both an MS in biology and a PhD in botany and aquatic ecology from Oregon State. Her research focus with the EPA includes monitoring and assessing wetlands at the regional and watershed scales, and restoration ecology of wetlands.
Kentula’s talk, entitled “Wetlands in the Landscape: Profiles as a Template for Decision Making," will address the ecological functions of wetlands and how decision- making can affect the services provided. She will also discuss how information, like the types collected for the Yaquina Estuary Conservation Plan Atlas, could be used in different ways to learn about the local landscape and provide insights that can guide decision-making.
A representative of the Wetlands Conservancy, authors of the atlas, will speak at our February meeting. View the atlas here.
 Contact: Paris Edwards, Climate Action Volunteer Coordinator, EMAIL
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| | | NEWS | | | Jan 23 Join Us for a Discussion of Climate Change and Water Supplies | Water supply and demand is already a crucial question in some coastal communities. Among the predicted effects of climate change are increased flooding during winter periods and prolonged droughts in summer and fall, and if these predictions play out, water availability could prove a major challenge to coastal communities.
Oregon Shores is hosting a panel discussion that will explore this topic on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. in the Yachats Commons (located on Highway 101 in the center of town). Yachats is one of those coastal communities that is already concerned about sufficient water supply.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is part of our Coastal Climate Change Adaptation Project.
Three Oregon State University professors will help coastal citizens understand the potential impact of climate change on water availability--both what we can predict now and what kinds of information will be needed in the future.
Ken Williamson, head of OSU’s School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, will lead off the panel and discuss the possible impacts of climate change on the coast’s infrastructure, and particularly on water supply facilities. Dr. Williamson, a part-time Yachats resident who is also a member of Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission, specializes in environmental impact assessment, as well as in the treatment of biological, chemical and other hazardous waste.
 Anne Nolin
 Chris Surfleet
engineering, has also studied the effects of forest management on water quality and quantity in several coastal watersheds.
Support our climate program not only by attending, but by helping us reach out to others. Please invite anyone who might be concerned about their community’s water quality and quantity, not to mention the larger questions raised by climate change.
Those interested in climate change questions are welcome to volunteer to participate as the project moves into its second year in Lincoln County. Oregon Shores plans eventually to extend the project to the entire coastal region.
Contact: Paris Edwards, Climate Action Volunteer Coordinator, EMAIL
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MORE NEWS... | Jan 11 Adaptive Planning Takes Different Forms Around Country
Planning for dealing with the effects of climate change is occurring all over the world. In the United States at least 20 states have adopted, or are in the process of creating, formal adaptation plans. Many more are addressing specific issues, such as impacts to wildlife, without a formal plan in place. In general, state plans initiate state-wide risk assessments that identify areas of ... MORE | | Jan 10 NEW Document High Tide Event with Your Camera
For the second year, a “King Tide” project, sponsored by the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, is being held to mark the highest tides of the year. Those highest tides are coming up January 20-23. Oregon has once again joined the King Tide Photo Initiative already underway in British Columbia and in Washington and California. The initiative aims to have individuals record ... MORE | | Dec 12 2011 Keep Tabs on Climate Issues Through Our Special Blog
Paris Edwards, our volunteer coordinator, maintains a “Climate Cache” blog. While its particular purpose is to keep participants in our Coastal Climate Change Adaptation Project informed, it is a great source of information about climate change and idea for addressing it for anyone interested in the issue. Five Reasons to Read the Climate Cache Blog: 1. Convenient Information Source The blog ... MORE | | Aug 6 2011 Climate Change Project Takes First Steps in Lincoln County
The first-year pilot project of Oregon Shores’ new Coastal Climate Change Adaptation Project is up and running. The pilot project is focused on Lincoln County. The long-range goal is to develop adaptive plans for the entire coastal region, so as to protect its natural resources, ecosystems and species as the coast experiences the inevitable effects of climate change. The project will seek to ... MORE | |
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