August 17 Event Looks at Adaptation To Climate Change on Oregon Coast

Published 08/11/2011

(Newport, Oregon) – The changing beach environment due to a changing climate will be the subject of a public discussion in Newport on August 17, put on by the Coastal Climate Change Adaptation Project of the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition (above: erosion at Neskowin is causing problems for the Ghost Forest as well as humans).

There, representatives from community planning groups in Neskowin and Port Orford will talk about their work addressing erosion and other impacts of climate change on their beach areas.

Yachats

The event takes place 7 p.m. at Oregon Coast Community College's lecture hall (Room 62).  It is free and open to the public.  The college is located at 400 S.E. College Way in Newport.

Among the representatives from the Neskowin Coastal Hazards Committee will be former forest scientist and local resident Pete Owston. That committee created a county-wide policy that will be the basis for future community-based planning in the long and short term throughout Tillamook County. His group has been dealing with severe beach erosion that is threatening Neskowin, and all signs point to the cause of climate change.

The Port Orford Community Climate Change Project will, among other things, feature David Holman, Chair of the Port Orford and Curry County Planning Commissions. Holman will speak about a joint effort involving the Port Orford Ocean Resource Team, local citizens, scientists from Oregon State University, and the Sea Grant program. The groups met over several months to discuss potential impacts of climate change to the Port Orford area, and made efforts to collaboratively consider what the community might want to do to address challenges.

Newport's Jump-Off Joe structure: the poster child for beach erosion

Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition (OSCS) created a special pilot project in Lincoln County to explore the challenges of adaptation to climate change. The August 17 meeting marks the third in a year-long series of meetings with Lincoln County citizens to initiate planning efforts with potential climate change impacts in mind. Core citizen teams have begun to develop to take on the planning challenge. Teams have been organized for the county as a whole, and for the communities of Newport and Yachats.

“More volunteers are needed,” said OSCS in a press release. “There is still plenty of time for interested Lincoln County residents to join one of the core teams.”

Lincoln City

The August 17 event was organized to enable interested Lincoln County residents to learn about how neighboring communities are approaching climate change adaptation through various planning efforts and decision-making processes.

For more information, or to volunteer, contact Paris Edwards, (541) 414-9371 or paris@oregonshores.org.

Siletz Bay, Lincoln City

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