Photo: Ben Nieves
In 2010 and 2011, The Conservation Alliance funded Our Ocean's Oregon Marine Heritage Campaign to designate and implement Oregon's first-ever coast-wide network of six ecologically significant marine reserves and protected areas. These are areas within Oregon's Territorial Sea or adjacent rocky intertidal area and protected from all extractive activities.
In late 2011, the State of Oregon designated the first two of these reserves at Otter Rock and Red Fish Rock, totaling 3.9 square miles of near-shore waters.
This month, three additional areas, Cape Falcon, Cascade Head and Cape Perpetua have received the Oregon State Legislature's approval to be designated as Marine Reserves. A signature from Governor Kitzhaber is all that is required to preserve these "ecological savings accounts". His signature is expected any day.
Learn more about Our Ocean's work and the Oregon Marine Heritage Campaign here.