Community Science Day At Otter Rock, Sept. 16

The public is invited to the last CoastWatch Community Science Day of the season at the Otter Rock Marine Reserve, coming up Sunday, Sept. 18. Anyone who would like to learn about shoreline ecology and citizen science is invited to attend—families included! The CoastWatch team is especially anxious to meet those who would be interested in volunteering for citizen science projects and for the Community Science Team, which helps to guide CoastWatch’s citizen science projects in the area from Yaquina Head to Government Point.http://oregonshores.org/images/ParaSpace.gifT The free public event takes place on the north side of Devil’s Punchbowl and the community of Otter Rock from 8 a.m. until noon. Fawn Custer, CoastWatch’s volunteer coordinator, along with volunteer Karen Driscoll, will begin the morning offering guided tidepool exploration. At 10 a.m., Custer will demonstrate CoastWatch’s marine debris survey, help volunteers sort and count litter, and discuss marine debris problems, including tsunami debris and the non-native organisms it can harbor. At 11 a.m, Karen Driscoll will lead a session demonstrating the beached bird survey, another of the citizen science projects. CoastWatch will be offering coffee, other hot beverages and pastries, but there will be a charge–one piece of marine debris. http://oregonshores.org/images/ParaSpace.gif CoastWatch’s long-term goal for Otter Rock is to coordinate all of its citizen science work as part of a larger effort to monitor the marine reserve shoreline and engage the community in citizen science. Volunteers to participate in the various citizen science projects (which in addition to marine debris and beached birds include a sea star survey, recording marine mammal strandings, and other studies), but also for those interested in being part of the Community Science Team that will work with Fawn Custer to coordinate these projects and organize educational events and reports back to the community. The team will help with recruiting more local citizens to participate in the citizen science surveys and learn more about the marine reserve. ttp://oregonshores.org/images/ParaSpace.gif For information about the Community Science Day, or to learn more about citizen science and the Community Science Team if you can’t be there in person Sept. 18, contact Fawn Custer at (541) 270-0027, fawn@oregonshores.org