All those who would like to learn more about coastal natural history and the Oregon shoreline have an extraordinary opportunity this summer. The CoastWatch program is offering intensive, three-day workshops, led by ecologist Stewart Schultz, an authority on the Northwest’s coastal region. He will be joined by Fawn Custer, CoastWatch’s volunteer coordinator. The workshops will be held in Arch Cape, July 18-20; Depoe Bay, August 1-3; and Port Orford, August 14-16. Three full days of instruction will cover the major coastal ecosystems: tidepools, sandy beaches, estuaries, forests and the nearshore ocean. Tides, landforms, birds and marine mammals will be considered. Matters of concern such as marine debris and invasive species will also be discussed. This year there will be a special emphasis on Oregon’s marine reserves. Each session will include field trips, indoor presentations and laboratory experiences (with some variation, depending on the weather). While the workshops were developed to provide training to volunteers interested in citizen science and monitoring the shoreline (including participants in CoastWatch), they are open to the public, and would be of interest to anyone who is fascinated by the ecology of our coastal region. Teachers and other professionals can obtain 24 Professional Development Units by taking a workshop. To register online, go to http://tinyurl.com/shoreline2015. Stewart Schultz is the author of The Northwest Coast: A Natural History. His wide-ranging experience in studying the Oregon coast makes him a very knowledgeable guide to the shoreline environment. An Oregonian who grew up playing on the shore near Gearhart, he went to Reed College and obtained his doctorate in botany from the University of British Columbia. He worked on the Oregon coast for the Nature Conservancy, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, gaining wide field experience, before pursuing an academic career as a professor at the University of Miami, and now the University of Zadar in Croatia. During the academic year he studies marine ecology, as well as his specialty of plant evolution and genetics, but every summer he returns to the Oregon coast to teach shoreline science. Fawn Custer is an experienced marine educator of 30 years teaching in both formal and informal settings including 14 years at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. She is currently the CoastWatch volunteer coordinator working with over 1,330 volunteers who have adopted a mile of shoreline. he workshops will be held: July 18-20, Arch Cape Fire Hall Meeting Room, 72979 Hwy 101, Arch Cape; Aug. 1-3, Depoe Bay Community Hall, 220 S.E. Bay Street, Depoe Bay; Aug. 14-16, OSU Sea Grant Field Station, 444 Jackson Street, Port Orford. Each workshop will begin at 8:30 a.m. on the first day, and at 8 a.m. on the final two days, and will run until approximately 4:30 p.m. each day. Workshop fee will be $70 for those who are both CoastWatchers and members of the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition (CoastWatch’s parent group), $90 for those who are either CoastWatchers or Oregon Shores members, and $120 for others (who are invited to join Oregon Shores on the registration site and take the discount). Snacks will be provided; lunch is brown-bag. Reservations can be made online at http://tinyurl.com/shoreline2015 or by linking through the CoastWatch website, http://oregonshores.org/coastwatch.php5. It is also possible to reserve a place and pay by mail. Checks made out to the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition can be sent to P.O. Box 33, Seal Rock, OR 97376. Be sure to specify which workshop is intended. For more information, contact Fawn Custer, (541) 270-0027, fawn@oregonshores.org. For more information about CoastWatch and adopting a mile of the shoreline, contact Fawn Custer or visit the website, http://oregonshores.org/coastwatch.php5. CoastWatch is a program of the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition.
