We are STOKED to announce that today (June 24th, 2015) the Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB) voted unanimously to deny the petition to create a "navigational safety zone" and exclude surfers from some of the best waves on the North Coast! This is a major victory for recreational access at Cape Kiwanda!
A major factor in turning this decision in our favor was the massive groundswell of support that everyone provided through your petition signatures and hand-written letters. Surfrider's ability to influence decisions like this is only as strong as your support, we couldn't have done this without YOU!
Official release from Oregon State Marine Board: http://www.oregon.gov/OSMB/news/2015/CapeKiwandaNewsRelease.pdf
Older Post: May 3rd, 2015
Your voice is needed to continue surfing the Cape! An Oregon Marine Board proposed rule comment period is open that would restrict surfing in a proposed “safety zone” in Pacific City from the south side of Cape Kiwanda, approximately 1100 yards to the south. This is a truly special place for ocean and beach recreational users, a premiere destination for surfers and dory fishermen alike. Act now by reading on for more information, sign our petition or send written comments to keep surfing from becoming a crime at the Cape!
If you’re an Oregon surfer or beach-lover, odds are no matter where in the state you live you’ve heard of or recreated in Pacific City (PC). In the summertime, PC is a mecca for a diverse range of recreational activities and a hotbed for destination travelers to the Oregon coast. Whether you’re aiming to catch some rays, waves or salmon, the rich offerings of this coastal community to tourists are vast.
A deep culture of dory fishermen and surfers often co-exist within this proposed rule area just to the south of the Cape, where seasonal waves can peel to perfection and where channels allow for dory boats to launch and land. The proposed "safety zone" came about by a Petition Request to the Marine Board - from an individual not associated with or supported by the Doryman's Association - and would make operation of a surfboard whenever dory rigs and trailers are parked on the beach illegal. Beyond the navigational constraints of a defined area, restricting a surfer or dory boat to a certain zone is counterproductive to safety. Many times the only safe way for a surfer to enter the water is within the proposed restricted zone and the navigational zone for a doryman may vary seasonally based on sandbars.
Many local surfers and dory fishermen have already spoke out in opposition to this rule and believe that the most productive way to handle safety in this zone is for educated surfers and dorymen to work together to manage this zone. Both fishing and surfing of invaluable economic and cultural benefit to this community. Restricting the use in this area for any user group is not the answer and will only hurt the local economy that’s highly dependent on these ocean and beach uses.
An educated public and well-informed users is the solution to safety in Pacific City, not the exclusion of any particular user group. Surfing has become a heritage of Pacific City, stand with us and sign the petition to state your opposition to the proposed rule that would make surfing a crime at the Cape!
Rather send your personal comments? Great! Email or mail comments directly to the Marine Board:
June LeTarte, Rules Coordinator
435 Commercial St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
osmb.rulemaking@state.or.us
