Volunteers and partners gathered on April 27th for the Annual Spring Action Day at Oswald West State Park to make improvements and increase awareness of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve. Surfrider Foundation Portland Chapter along with partners, Surfrider North Coast Organizing Committee, Oregon State Parks, Friends of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve, and Trailkeepers of Oregon, combined forces to take on 4 stewardship projects with help from 55 volunteers.
The South Parking Lot Team removed a 100 sq. ft. patch of invasive English ivy, removed approximately 40 lbs. of trash around the parking lot, and blocked eight trail cuttings.
The South Beach Entrance Team moved driftwood to clear the beach access. Large logs were used to block two trail cuts.
The North Beach Entrance Team repaired the ocean shore number sign and improved the beach access path.
The Beach Cleanup Team removed approximately 60 lbs. of marine debris and trash from the beach.
For all of their hard work, volunteers were treated to a free BBQ (including delicious donations from Public Coast Brewing, Breakside Brewery, and Brew Dr. Kombucha) and raffle prizes from Leeward Surf, Zeal Optics, and Evo.
Oregon's northernmost Marine Reserve - Cape Falcon - is a very important recreation area popular with surfers. The 12.4 sq. mi. Marine Reserve and two adjacent Marine Protected Areas (each with their own restrictions) are dominated by sandy habitats with some great tide pooling areas at the north and south ends of Shorty's. The inland border of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve is Oswald West State Park - one of Oregon's most popular coastal State Parks, hosting upwards of 1.2 million visitors every year.
On Sunday, the Portland Chapter returned to Shorty's to surf and deepen our connections with this special place. A common misconception is that all Surfrider volunteers and staff are surfers. Some are, but many of us just share the same passion of wanting clean water and healthy beaches. Most of the Portland Executive Committee volunteers had never surfed before, so as a team building activity we took a surf lesson with Lauren Ahlgren of Oregon Surf Adventures.
The Team had a wonderful time in the water and most of us even stood up - a true testament to Lauren's impressive instructing skills. We really appreciated the volunteers who cleared the main beach access - it was so much easier carrying surfboards off the beach after an exhausting surf session without having to stumble over rocks!