 |
 |
Published 09/24/09
Oregon Coast Conservation Group Announces New Director
 |
| Phillip Johnson has been named the new Executive Director for Oregon Shores. |
(Seal Rock, Oregon) - The Oregon coast's regional conservation group, the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, has announced the appointment of its new executive director.
Phillip Johnson, long-time director of Oregon Shores' CoastWatch volunteer program, will step up to head the parent organization. He will also continue to direct CoastWatch.
Johnson founded CoastWatch as an Oregon Shores board member in 1993, and has built it into a 1,300-volunteer program through which "mile adopters" keep watch over the entire Oregon shoreline. In recent years, he has also headed Oregon Shores’ individual donor fund-raising efforts.
"We’ve chosen someone with deep experience in Oregon coastal conservation, and a deep commitment to Oregon Shores," said Allison Asbjornsen, the group’s board president. "This is the culmination of Phillip Johnson’s work for this organization over many years. He is a familiar figure to those who love the Oregon coast, but he is also the right person to lead us into a new era."
A former newspaper reporter and editor (including the Willamette Valley Observer in Eugene) and freelance writer specializing in conservation topics, Johnson joined the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition board in 1991, and made the transition to staff member four years ago.
 |
| Even secret spots along the coast - like this one at Oceanside - are kept an eye by Oregon Shores and CoastWatch. |
Johnson was the first chair of the Oregon Conservation Network, a statewide consortium of conservation groups managed by the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, and served on the OCN steering committee for 10 years.
Johnson said when he isn’t working at preserving the coast, he pursues his avocation as a puppeteer. He is a founder and director of the Runaway Circus Puppet Theatre.
As executive director, Johnson will oversee Oregon Shores’ three major programs - Ocean and Land Use, in addition to CoastWatch - while leading the organization’s planning and fund-raising efforts.
“Oregon Shores already has well-established programs and a long track record of playing a key role in protecting some of the coast’s most beautiful and ecologically important areas,” Johnson said. “We also have strong visions for the coast’s future, which include building public awareness of the connections between land and sea, stronger protection for shoreline and marine ecosystems, and leading the way toward an intelligent, adaptive response to the coming impacts of climate change on the coast.
 |
| CoastWatch has volunteers that oversee all the beaches along Oregon's 362 miles of coast. (picture: Otter Rock, near Depoe Bay) |
“Stepping into the role of executive director, I’m inheriting that tradition and that vision. My goals are to integrate our work more fully to emphasize the land-sea connection, build our membership and volunteer base, and work with the board to make Oregon Shores an ever-more-effective protector of the coast’s environment.”
Phillip Johnson can be reached at (503) 238-4450, orshores@teleport.com. Oregon Shores can be contacted at P.O. Box 33, Seal Rock, OR 97376, or through the web at www.oregonshores.org.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
RELATED STORIES
Unusual Travel Articles TravelParanormal.com allows you to submit your own creepy tale or debunk one - or see up-to-the-minute news headlines about travel and the paranormal.
Watching Transformations of Oregon Coast Beaches Seasons change and so do beaches, revealing different sides and a variety of eye-popping sights
Staggeringly Cool Ideas for Oregon Coast Romance Be it the season of Valentine's or be it any time of the year, Oregon's coastline has essentially cornered the market for cuddle-inducing possibilities and gushy activities for the hand-holding set
Day or Night Mysteries and Merriment on Oregon Coast It's more than just nightlife that comes to life, but the beaches offer major opportunities
News Headlines from All Over Oregon Need to scan Oregon headlines? Constantly updated news from all over Oregon: a comprehensive, up-to-the-minute display of news headlines from a variety of media.
Secrets of the Season |
