Plans gull-ore
By Gretchen Ammerman
Oregon Coast TODAY
Instead of just letting their feathers get ruffled by negative trends in species numbers and healthy habitats in the world’s oceans, the Audubon Society of Lincoln City is designating this August as Marine Reserve Awareness Month.
With the goal of raising visibility and understanding of Oregon’s Marine Reserves, they’ve planned and partnered with other organizations for an art exhibition, live presentations, hikes, children's activities and more.
The event has a soft opening on Sunday, Aug 8, with the bulk of the presentations and outdoor excursions happening from Friday, Aug. 13 to Saturday, Aug. 28.
“We’ve basically planned a suite of activities that are intended to help educate people, but do it in a fun and accessible way,” said board member Ruth Shelly. “These reserves are living laboratories and because they are not as impacted by outside forces we can really see what they are doing over time. It's so important because the ocean is intimately connected to our life here on the coast. People are surprised when they hear that Audubon is pushing for measures to protect or increase marine preserves because they wonder what it has to do with birds. Our answer? ‘Everything.’”
Cascade Head Marine Reserve, offshore from Lincoln City, is one of five areas of state coastal waters dedicated to conservation and scientific research, overseen by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
A series of planned hikes will take place on land but all in view of the protected marine environments.
“These offshore reserves are the marine equivalent of a nature preserve,” said board member Steve Griffiths, adding that naturalists and interns will be coming along on the walks so that people can ask questions and get answers to question they may not know to ask.
“We really want people to start thinking more about protecting natural areas from overuse without waiting for ‘proof.’ Reserves haven’t been around long enough for the benefits to be really measured, but it’s pretty clear what is happening to the marine environments that have no protection.”
You can meet and greet the eco-warriors of the ASLC at the Lincoln City Farmers Market, Sundays from Aug. 8, through Sept. 5, where they will have an information table and accompanied children can paint ceramic creatures that will inhabit a three-dimensional tidepool.
An art exhibition, “Reserve Inspiration,” opens on Friday, Aug. 13 and runs through Sept. 5 in the Chessman Gallery at Lincoln City Cultural Center. Seven coastal artists will display work inspired by the beauty and diversity of the Cascade Head Marine Reserve in media ranging from painting to scientific illustration, ceramics, photography and even FirePainting.
Audubon members will also have a table at the Neskowin Farmers Market on Saturday, Aug.14 and at both talks being presented at the Lincoln City Cultural Center, like “Diving into Oregon’s Marine Reserves—A Virtual Underwater Tour'' by Cristen Don of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, on Friday, Aug. 13.
“People preserve what they know but it's so hard to know what’s going on under the water,” Shelly said. “We are trying to reveal the hidden treasure that we have right under the surface of the water, but you need it unimpacted so that you can really study what a protected environment can do.”
The Audubon Society of Lincoln City was founded as a chapter of the National Audubon Society in 2005. A nonprofit organization, ASLC is active in education and advocacy for protection of birds, other wildlife and their habitats in Lincoln and Tillamook Counties. For more information, go to lincolncityaudubon.org.
Although the main focus of the event are the marine reserves, the largest pool of activities will be happening at the Lincoln City Cultural Center, including the live presentations and the tabling at the Farmers & Crafters market.
The “Reserve Inspiration” art exhibition, opening Friday, Aug. 13 in the Chessman Gallery, will feature seven coastal artists. share work inspired by the beauty and diversity of the Cascade Head Marine Reserve in media ranging from painting to scientific illustration, ceramics, photography, and even FirePainting. Children can paint ceramic creatures that will inhabit a three-dimensional tidepool. Confirmed artists include:
Julie Fiedler, Ceramic Sculptor
Scott Groff, Underwater Photographer
Cynthia Longhat-Adams, FirePainter
Victoria McOmie, Abstract Artist
Ernie Rose, Bird Photographer
Nora Sherwood, Natural Science Illustrator
Jill Perry Townsend, Plein Aire Seascape Painter