The second phase of the King Tide project is coming up Dec. 31 and running through Jan. 3 in the new year. This is the Oregon branch of a worldwide project in which anyone with a camera can help to document the reach of the year’s highest tides. (The international effort first began in Australia, where the highest annual tidal events are called King Tides, hence the name of the project). The Oregon version is sponsored by the Coastal Management Program of Oregon’s Department of Land Conservation and Development, and co-sponsored by CoastWatch, the volunteer program of the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, and the Oregon chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. There has already been one round of the local project, capturing the series of high tides early in December. A third phase will take place Jan. 29-31. Photographers are asked to take shots at the highest point of the tide during the series of high tides on those days. These photos can focus on any feature, but those that show the location of the tide in relation to the built environment (roads, seawalls, buildings) are especially valuable. Photos showing how the high tides affect wetland areas are also of special value. The ideal photo would be taken from a location where the photographer can return later at an ordinary high tide to take a comparison shot. King Tide photos help to reveal which areas, both natural and human-built, are vulnerable to high tides under current conditions. Over time as the project continues, photos taken at the same locations year after year will help to demonstrate changing sea levels. King Tide photos may help planners, scientists and all citizens to envision what might become typical tides in the future with predicted sea level rise due to climate change. Participating photographers are asked to post their photographs on the project’s Flickr site, http://www.flickr.com/groups/oregonkingtides/. Those who don’t wish to use Flickr can e-mail their photo files to orkingtide@gmail.com. More information about the project, including links to tide tables and suggestions for posting photographs, can be found on the King Tide website, http://www.coastalatlas.net/kingtides/, and on the CoastWatch website, http://oregonshores.org/coastwatch.php5. The project can also be followed on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oregon-King-Tides-Photo-Initiative/594816293918115, and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ORKingTide. At the conclusion of the project, a celebration will be held beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, at the South Beach location of the Rogue Brewery in Newport . The best of the King Tide photos will be shown, photographers will be on hand to comment, and there will be a special speaker. The event is free and open to all (some refreshments provided, beer and meals available from the Rogue). For more information about the project, please contact Meg Gardner, NOAA Coastal Fellow, at the Oregon Coastal Management Program in Newport: (541) 574-4514 or meg.gardner@state.or.us. For information about the final celebration, contact Fawn Custer, CoastWatch volunteer coordinator, at (541) 270-0027, fawn@oregonshores.org.
