Is the Oregon Coast Affected by Global Warming?

Braasch

(Newport, Oregon) - The effects of global warming, as seen through Gary Braasch’s camera lens, are already visible. Braasch, an internationally renowned nature photographer, will present a slide show on “Viewing Climate Change: A Tour of Global Impacts in Words and Pictures” at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 21, in the auditorium of the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.

The free public event is sponsored by the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, as part of the group’s annual meeting. Also speaking, at 3:30 p.m., will be coastal geologist Roger Hart. His slide talk, “Where Has All the Sand Gone?: Oregon’s Beaches, Dunes and Buried Forests,” will survey the beach landscape and consider possible effects of global warming close to home.

Oregon Shores will hold its official annual meeting just prior to the presentations, 1 p.m. - 1:50 p.m. in Room 30-32 at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. Non-members are welcome to attend to hear updates on the group’s work throughout Oregon’s coastal region and learn more about current issues involving the shoreline and ocean, although only members can vote on business matters.

What's happening to sand levels on the coast? Roger Hart will ask those questions.

Gary Braasch’s presentation is a preview of his forthcoming book, Earth Under Fire: How Global Warming is Changing the World. Braasch is an environmental photographer who has documented natural history and environmental issues since 1975. He received the Ansel Adams Award for conservation photography from the Sierra Club this year, and has been named Outstanding Nature Photographer by the North American Nature Photography Assn. His images have ranged from the eruption of Mount St. Helens and the ancient forests of the Northwest to landscapes and issues throughout the planet. He has produced photographic assignments for a wide range of magazines, including National Geographic, Life, Scientific American and BBC Wildlife. His book on the impacts of global warming will be published by University of California Press in 2007.

Roger Hart is a widely traveled geologist who has worked everywhere from Antarctica to Amazonia, but who specializes in the shifting sands of beaches and dunes. He is currently studying sand supply and erosion on Oregon’s coast. A resident of Seal Rock, he is also a photographer and the author of The Phaselock Code, drawn from his adventures as a field geologist and traveler. Hart will examine Oregon’s sandy shoreline as it has changed over the millennia, and discuss whether the sand supply to the state’s beaches is diminishing. His talk will also consider the possible effects of global warming on Oregon’s coast.

Oregon Shores is a 35-year-old organization which advocates for conservation throughout the coastal region. Its programs deal with land use planning, water quality, shoreline protection and ocean issues. The group’s CoastWatch program engages more than 1,200 Oregonians in monitoring the state’s entire shoreline.

For more information about the event or about Oregon Shores, contact Phillip Johnson, (503) 238-4450, orshores@teleport.com.

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