GLENEDEN BEACH, Ore. - Registration has opened for Oregon Sea Grant's annual State of the Coast conference, which will be held Nov. 9 at the Salishan resort in Gleneden Beach and will provide opportunities to hear about marine science and policy issues facing the Oregon coast.
The event brings together college students, the public, scientists, fishermen, resource managers and conservationists. Attendees will have the opportunity to see marine-inspired artwork created by college students, talk to students from several universities in Oregon about their research, listen to presentations about Oregon's marine environment, and contribute to a collaborative art project.
The keynote speaker will be Bonnie Henderson, the author of "The Next Tsunami: Living on a Restless Coast" and "Strand: An Odyssey of Pacific Ocean Debris," which was a finalist for the 2009 Oregon Book Awards. She has also written "Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon" and "Day Hiking: Oregon Coast."
Presentations will cover the following topics:
- an update on the health of sea stars on the Oregon coast
- research on whales on the West Coast
- plastic pollution and solutions
- the rebound of West Coast groundfish populations
- an underwater look at Oregon's marine reserves
- the use of illustrations to educate people about coastal wildlife
- innovations in fishing gear
- coastal livability
- a retrospective on two decades of monitoring and restoring streams and salmonids on the central Oregon coast
- holistic management of Oregon's rocky intertidal habitat
Presenters and panelists will include Oregon State University faculty, government officials, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Surfrider Foundation and Local Ocean Seafoods. This year's theme for the conference is "Coastal Journeys, Pivotal Moments."
