The 8th annual Sharing the Coast Conference arrives this week in Coos Bay, and the public is invited. The event takes place March 4-6 at Southwestern Oregon Community College (1988 Newmark). Jointly sponsored by the CoastWatch program of the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition and the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators (NAME), the conference offers a wealth of information about coastal natural history, science, and hands-on stewardship. It features speakers, workshops and field experiences, along with a Saturday evening celebration. The full schedule is now available. You will find it at http://oregonshores.org/pdfs/SharingTheCoastSchedule2016.pdf. Registration is open online, http://tinyurl.com/sharingthecoast2016. It will also be possible to register in person at the conference. The conference will bring a special perspective to the coastal environment in the person of Sunday plenary speaker Samantha Chisholm Hatfield, a PhD in Environmental Science who is a Siletz Tribe member. Dr. Hatfield, who also has Cherokee heritage, specializes in “Traditional Ecological Knowledge” (TEK). She is a post-doctoral research associated with the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, and is at the same time involved with local and national Native communities, supporting Indigenous groups and issues relating to culture. Dr. Hatfield studies TEK among Northwest and Great Basin tribes, with a focus on how this type of knowledge brings a different understanding of climate change, and how traditional peoples have adapted to changing climates. In her spare time dances traditionally, sings, and volunteers in Native communities and for Native issues, particularly those associated with children. During her Sunday morning (March 6) presentation, Dr. Hatfield will introduce the concept of TEK, the perspective it brings to the coastal environment, and the ways in which tribes have employed this understanding of the world in addressing climate change and other impacts to their homelands and resources. Other major speakers include Friday evening (March 4) keynote speaker Fritz Stahr, who manages the Seaglider Fabrication Center at the University of Washington’s School of Oceanography. Stahr will describe his experiences in studying the ocean through the use of ROVs (remotely operated vehicles), and in introducing students to marine science. Dr. Stahr’s talk takes place in the Hales Auditorium on the SOCC campus, beginning at 7 p.m. This “community talk” is free and open to all. Registration for the full conference begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning (March 5) at the Hales Center for the Performing Arts. Key speakers on Saturday and Sunday include oceanographer Bill Peterson, who will describe the changing state of Oregon’s ocean; biologist Daniel Elbert, who will examine the ecology of beaches and dunes and discuss efforts to restore the threatened snowy plover to these habitats; and ecologist Steve Rumrill, who will explore Oregon’s bays and estuaries, with special attention to the shellfish they sustain. In addition to the plenary presentations, the Saturday and Sunday schedules will be packed with workshops on such topics as marine mammals, tidepool life, marine debris, “beached marine critters” (from squid to sharks to sea turtles) and sessions on teaching marine science aimed at teachers, interpreters and docents. Field trips will explore both outer shorelines and the nearby estuary. The conference also includes a Saturday evening party, which features an informal talk by Bill Hanshumaker, chief Sea Grant scientist at the Hatfield Marine Science Center, on the role of noise in the ocean, as both a natural effect and a human impact, along with food, drink and a coastal trivia contest. Conference fees are $25 for current members of CoastWatch, Oregon Shores and NAME, $45 for members of the general public (who are invited to join either sponsoring organization and take the discount), and $20 for students. The fee includes Saturday lunch and the Saturday evening party. Fee for Sunday only is $15 (lunch on your own). For more information, visit the CoastWatch website, http://oregonshores.org/coastwatch.php5, or contact Fawn Custer, CoastWatch volunteer coordinator, (541) 270-0027, fawn@oregonshores.org.
