Posted on September 23, 2024
Oregon’s iconic public beaches are one of the state’s most treasured natural resources. With the passage of Governor Tom McCall’s Beach Bill in 1967, Oregonians were forever granted public recreational access to our beaches for generations to come. Despite that, public beaches are at risk, caught in the ‘coastal squeeze’ between rising sea levels and coastal development. This interaction between beach erosion and structural responses to protect property, such as seawalls and riprap, is shrinking beaches in Oregon, and could lead to the eventual loss of public access and recreation along the shore.
Riprap protruding onto Pine Beach. Photo: Rena Olson
Now, Surfrider and Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition have joined forces to address the long-term threats to our beaches. Together, we are launching Oregon Beaches Forever, a campaign with the goal to safeguard Oregon’s public beaches for future generations and ensure the preservation of our coastlines and communities as we adapt to climate change.
Over the next three years, the Oregon Beaches Forever Campaign will:
- Advocate for climate adaptation and improved shoreline management in local coastal planning
- Strengthen rules for beach management and limit permitting for harmful structures like shoreline armoring
- Improve policy framework for equitable access to the beach and along the shore
- Implement “Nature Based Solution” model projects and policies that promote beach preservation and climate adaptation
- Prevent bad coastal development that furthers loss of beaches
As rising seas and intensifying storms due to climate change increase erosion and threaten properties, many residents are turning to shoreline armoring, such as riprap revetments and seawalls to increase protection of their property. However, such hardened shoreline protection structures increase rates of erosion on beaches, causing scour in front of the structures while depriving beaches of a replacement sand supply from dunes and bluffs.
Erosion at Lincoln Beach. Photo: Loren Nelson
Surfrider and Oregon Shores will provide broad public education about the science of coastal erosion, habitat loss, and the policy and legal alternatives — both those that are possible under Oregon’s current land-use laws, and those that would require new legislation. We will achieve this through webinars, in-person community events, and social media. You can find out more about our upcoming events here.
While working toward long-term solutions, we will collaborate on more immediate goals as well, including advocating for stronger regulations for shoreline armoring through the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and developing a strategy for preserving Oregon’s legacy of coastal state parks.
Additionally, we will continue to fight destructive development on our coast and engage our membership in opposing applications for shoreline armoring. This past month we’ve been involved in two campaigns focused on individual shoreline armoring applications in Depoe Bay and Cannon Beach. Engaging at the local level will be a key element of this campaign. As such, we are also advocating for climate adaptation and improved shoreline management in local coastal planning through updates to the Clatsop County Comprehensive Plan.
Today we have the opportunity to explore alternatives that nourish our beaches and coastal communities rather than deplete them through harmful shoreline armoring. A key element of the Oregon Beaches Forever campaign will be working to implement Nature-Based Solution model projects and policies that promote beach preservation and climate adaptation. We are excited to be working on one such project in Cannon Beach at Ecola Creek.
You can help us protect Oregon’s beaches by becoming a member or pledging your support and helping us reach 10,000 voices for Oregon’s beaches!
