Conservation in Cannon Beach

Trafton B.

May 16, 2010 - 10:53 AM

If I told you I spent yesterday driving from Eugene to Cannon Beach, visiting Oswald West State Park, hanging out with some local surfers and playing a late night game of Frisbee around a bonfire on the beach, you might think I'm just spending a regular lazy Saturday on the coast. I may have been hiking and canoeing, but technically, I am working this weekend.

The final project and presentation for one of my classes this term, Conservation & Community (PPP 407), requires an extensive case study on any park or conservation area of our choosing. While most of our classmates chose to go global with their projects, finding remote and exotic reserves in Panama or Madagascar, my team and I decided it would be much more interesting to look at some place we actually know about. So, we're looking at the Oregon Coastal parks as a bioregion and assessing their suitability for conserving wilderness.

Like I said, we're here in Cannon Beach to have a good time, but we are working very hard to gather as much information as possible about conservation strategies, land use policy and tourism. Our most valuable asset is that one of our group members, Andrew, has lived in Cannon Beach for a few years so he has family and friends here, and he knows a lot of good people to talk to.

Yesterday, we got in town a little after noon and immediately headed to Oswald West's Short Sands cove to interview surfers. It was a gorgeous day, so every one was outside and, thankfully for us, they were happy to chat with us. We asked them some basic questions: Where are you from? Why are they here? How long are you staying?

We really wanted to find out how knowledgeable these people are about local ecological issues and the state park system. Our main question was, "Are you aware of the local environmental issues? Clear-cutting? Coastal dead zones that make the waters uninhabitable?" We want to get a sense for how well these average outdoor enthusiasts actually know what they're seeing. Do any tourists come to Cannon Beach for the outdoor education? Do they want to learn? Do they care?

We also asked if they would still come to the beach if the parks service instituted a parking fee or a day pass (currently, Shorty's is free for the general public) Also, how much would they be willing to pay? In essence, we need to determine what type of tourist the Oregon Coast attracts. Adventure tourists who want to experience the outdoors? Regular tourists interested in shopping and enjoying the solitude of a coastal town? Or Ecotourists?

For those of you wondering what ecotourism is.... I'll spare you the Wikipedia search. 'Ecotourism' (also known as ecological tourism) is responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strive to be low impact and (often) small scale. It purports to educate the traveler; provide funds for conservation; directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities; and foster respect for different cultures and for human rights.

For the most part our surfers were fairly local. Portland area was the farthest we found. And most of them said they would agree to a day use fee. We heard everything from "No more than $4" to "Maybe $10 per car" and the occasional "They can't tax my $%&@ beach!" It was interesting hearing the different perspectives. Also, it made me not want to hold any job that requires canvassing or door-to-door sales.

After Shorty's, we headed to the Cannon Beach Information Center and talked with a nice lady that gave us some great contact information. We spent the evening at the house of the Public Works Director for the City of Seaside, where we got the inside scoop about tourism, land use policy and whatnot. Better yet, we scored a home cooked meal. Fresh Chinook salmon on the grill! It was delicious.

Today, we have a few more interviews to take care of and a few more pamphlets to get a hold of. We're just about to head out the door to Ecola State Park to learn more about the inland parks and the forested areas. We also saw a sign for the Nehalem Fish Hatchery off the highway, so hopefully we can stop there on our way out.

I think the amount of work we've put into this project (or at least the amount of information we've successfully uncovered) came as a surprise, and if work has me interviewing surfers on the beach for the rest of my life then sign me up. I could get used to this.