Blacklock Point Hike with Oregon Shores

Rocky intertidal at Blacklock Point.\Photo by Larry Basch.

Join Oregon Shores board member Larry Basch and Jesse Jones, CoastWatch’s volunteer coordinator, on a hike to Curry County’s Blacklock Point on Wednesday, March 30, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Meet at Cape Blanco Airport trailhead.

In late 2020, Blacklock Point was one of six intertidal areas proposed for designation as a Marine Conservation Area under Oregon’s new Rocky Habitat Management Strategy. It is still being considered, and a workshop will take place in late April where proponents, including Oregon Shores, will discuss the proposal with state agencies as part of the decision-making process; those agencies will then pass recommendations on to the Ocean Policy Advisory Council.

To highlight this area and explain why it is worthy of such protective designation, Dr. Basch will lead an interpretive hike, discussing among other things Blacklock’s ecological connection to Cape Blanco, which has been proposed as a Marine Research Reserve as part of the Rocky Habitat strategy. Larry, who was the primary contributor to the Blacklock site designation proposal, is a marine ecologist, scuba diver, naturalist, and community conservation activist in Coos County. He engages in applied research, adaptive management and monitoring, and teaching.

The hike is about 1.75 miles each way. Be sure to dress for the weather and wear shoes that can get wet and muddy. Assemble at the Cape Blanco airport parking area before 3:30; the hike will leave promptly to make sure to allow enough time to complete the round-trip in daylight. To reach the trailhead, turn on Airport Road opposite Pacific High School, just north of the hamlet of Sixes, between Bandon and Port Orford.

For more information, contact Jesse Jones, (503) 989-7244, jesse@oregonshores.org.