When their beach is at risk, Newport shows up! On the evening of November 13th, nearly 100 people filled the room at Brewers on the Bay to discuss the fate of Highway 101 and Beverly Beach.
The Oregon Department of Transportation is exploring a Goal 18 exception to put one or more massive rip rap revetments (rock armoring) along the beach between Moolack and Beverly Beach in an effort to "hold the line" and protect Highway 101 from the rising Pacific Ocean. The footprint of the structure alone would take up most of the sandy beach space here with cascading negative impacts from erosion. These plans would cause permanent beach loss and take away valuable resources from the public.
Watch This Short Highlight Reel & Community Interviews From the Event
That’s why about 100 community members congregated to start a discussion about what’s at stake. People highlighted the importance of this area for surf breaks, for fossil hunting and geology education, beach walks, and for the Oregon Coast Trail. The event was hosted by Newport Chapter of Surfrider Foundation and our partners at Oregon Shores as part of our Oregon Beaches Forever statewide efforts.
From the economically important Beverly Beach State Park Campground to the ecologically important Otter Rock Marine Reserve, both adjacent the project area, it was clear the community impacts of losing the beach here would be significant and irreplaceable resource. Concerns were also voiced about not only what riprap would take from the community but also that this sets a bad precedent for pursuing meaningful strategies that provide longterm climate resilience. Additionally, folks did not support our state agency sinking time and money into something that doesn’t actually solve the problem - this road is also threatened by unstable ground and erosion from stormwater runoff, two major issues that rip rap will not protect against. So ultimately, we could lose our beach and still have the road fail with ODOT’s current plan.
Alternatives. The mission of this event was to get the conversation started not to propose a silver bullet solution. However, relocating 3.3 miles of road inland was a more highly discussed option that would offer the highest level of protection and design life and leave the beach intact. It would cost the least amount of money over time compared to riprap and other structural solutions and an inland route could save lives when the Big One hits. A high favorite alternative for many, but not also with some community and environmental consequences of it's own. Local community watersheds and drinking water sources, timber lands and other land use impacts may likely present some challenges, but it remained a community favorite. Other "soft" options and nature based discussion were discussed, but generally poorly understood in application and ability to address the underlying problem, particularly for this particular stretch of beach.
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The Newport Chapter of Surfrider has stewarded this stretch of coast for decades - they formally adopted the Hwy along this stretch and have kept it clean for over 25 years, they conduct water quality testing and surf stewardship events like the Otter Rock n Roll, and many beach cleanup events out of Beverly Beach State Park and Moolack.
The people of Newport want answers from ODOT. Many questions revolved around the impacts of the rip rap, feasibility and logistics of relocation, and what the Goal 18 process entails and when it will begin. Many people that lived in the directly adjacent community of Beverly Beach had highly specific concerns related directly to their housing and community. Why isn’t ODOT talking to the community? Will Beverly Beach be the new Gleneden? Have uses like surfing, fossil scientific and recreational exploration been quantified and understood? Has anyone talked to tribes about cultural uses and historic values? What are the potential ecological impacts to the marine reserve, beach access or even an individual's ability to just walk on the beach? And about those sandbars we like to surf?
While many questions raised went unanswered for now, the unifying feedback of the community in finding a solution was to protect the beach above all. This event has become the official kickoff to the Oregon Beaches Forever’s Save Beverly Beach Campaign - because the community members in attendance have spoken: Save Beverly Beach! Stay tuned for more events and information to come on how you can get more involved.