Dunes CoastWatch Training

Ghost forest in the Oregon Dunes.\Photo by Dina Pavlis.

CoastWatchers with miles in the Oregon Dunes, or those who might consider adopting a mile in this area, or for that matter anyone interested in the dunes environment, are all invited to join CoastWatch Volunteer Coordinator Fawn Custer for a combination CoastWatch training and dunes-walk on Thursday, Aug. 30.

Join Fawn at the River Roasters coffee shop in Florence (1240 Bay St.) at 9 a.m. for a brief CoastWatch training, including how-tos on filling out a report.

The group will then travel south to the Tahkenitch Day Use area, just south of the Tahkenitch campground (roughly 15 miles south of Florence, or 7.5 north of Reedsport).  Note that there is a parking fee of $5 if you don’t have a pass.  The hike out to the shoreline is an approximately four-mile, round-trip excursion, through the forest and then south on the beach.  The trail onto the beach is something of a sand slide, but reported as steep but doable.  Bring a lunch if you would like to refuel at the halfway point before heading back.

The hike will give Fawn an opportunity to describe the forested dunes, as well as the beach, and provide specific training about monitoring and reporting on dunes miles (or other long, sandy stretches, such as miles on spits) for CoastWatch.

If you would like to skip the short training session in Florence and meet the group at the Tahkenitch Day Use area, while an exact time can’t be guaranteed, arrival should be at about 10 a.m.  Bring a book!

For more information, contact Fawn Custer at (541) 270-0027