South Coast Citizen Science Event

King tide at Bandon's Coquille Point.\Photo by Rick Poecker.

On Satuday, Dec. 10, from 5-7 p.m., CoastWatch will be cohosting the second King Tides Project event of the season. This event will take place at the Pacific Reef Hotel (29362 Ellensburg Ave. in Gold Beach) in the conference room, which is a stand-alone building diagonally opposite from the office. Light food and beverages will be served.

CoastWatch and COASST (Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team) offer back-to-back presentations on how to engage in citizen science on your local beach. Jesse Jones, CoastWatch's volunteer coordinator, will share about The Oregon King Tides Project, through which volunteer photographers document the reach of the winter’s highest tides. This event will prepare the audience for the December series, which takes place Dec. 22 through Dec. 24. She will explain the project and how to participate, and provide insight into the value of documenting current vulnerabilities to flooding to provide a preview of sea level rise. 

Anna Vallery, COASST's Participant Coordinator, will talk about COASST's citizen science program to identify and collect data on beached birds and how volunteers contribute directly to monitoring their local marine resources and ecosystem health. Participants with COASST build a baseline record of the amount of beached birds washing up on local coastlines. COASST will hold a training in Brookings the following morning. COASST is a program of the University of Washington; CoastWatch is COASST's Oregon partner.

This event is free and you do not have to be a volunteer to attend. Please come and learn more and see if the programs might be a good fit for you! Register here.