6A • March 24, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com
Marine reserves impact
humans as well as sea life
Surveys tell how
many visitors
understand
ocean issues
SUBMITTED PHOTO
SOLVE student volunteers in Cannon Beach.
By Nancy McCarthy
For Cannon Beach Gazette
While scientists are busy
assessing the ecological im-
pacts of five marine reserves
along the Oregon coast, one
scientist is studying the re-
serves’ “human dimensions.”
Tommy Swearingen, the
only social scientist with the
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife, hopes to deter-
mine how the marine reserves
affect communities that are
attempting to manage their
shorelines.
Swearingen spoke during
a “World of Haystack Rock”
lecture in the Cannon Beach
Library March 8.
“We are there not only to
assess the impact of the re-
serves. If we can contribute to
the near shore management of
our environmental resources,
we are glad to help with that
broad goal,” Swearingen said.
Marine reserves were es-
tablished by the state between
2014 and 2016 at Cape Falcon;
Cascade Head; Otter Rock;
Cape Perpetua; and Redfish
Rocks, south of Port Orford.
Dedicated to conservation
and scientific research, they
are within three nautical miles
from shore and range in size
from 1.2 to 14.1 square miles
of ocean. All fishing, removal
of sea life and ocean develop-
ment are prohibited. Adjacent
marine protected areas also
prohibit ocean development
but allow limited fishing.
With the help of professors
and post graduate students,
Swearingen is surveying com-
munities where the reserves
are located and individuals,
including tourists, fishers, surf-
ers and environmentalists.
At least 2,100 interviews
have been conducted, and ob-
servations have been made of
33,264 visitors to the marine
reserves, Swearingen said.
Another 1,008 surveys were
mailed to affected groups.
Twelve case studies will
be done of eight communities,
and business studies will ex-
amine the reserves’ economic
impact.
The brief, five-minute field
Annual SOLVE Spring
Oregon Beach Cleanup
On Saturday, April 1,
SOLVE welcomes volun-
teers of all ages to join to-
gether in clearing the entire
Oregon coast of litter and
marine debris. Presented
by AAA Oregon, the 32nd
annual SOLVE Spring Or-
egon Beach Cleanup takes
place from 10 a.m. to 1
p.m. Residents and visi-
tors alike are encouraged
to join the local cleanup
in Cannon Beach. It’s an
easy, fun way to get out-
LYRA FONTAINE/CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
Oswald West State Park overlooks the adjacent Cape Falcon Marine Reserve on the last day
of the marine reserves summit.
interviews measured peoples’
awareness of marine reserves
and their knowledge of ocean
issues. They were taken just as
the marine reserves were cre-
ated to obtain a base line for
future surveys.
“If we’re going to moni-
tor the impact of the reserves,
we have to know where we
are right now,” Swearingen
said. “Then we will know how
things have changed.”
The state Legislature will
review the environmental and
sociological impacts in 2023.
Legislators will ask “if the
system, as a whole, is a good
design,” Swearingen said.
The field surveys asked
who visited the reserves, what
other activities they enjoyed
and how much money they
spent. The surveys also mea-
sured visitors’ attitude toward
the reserves.
Of those visiting the areas
when the reserves first were
established, 20 percent knew
about them.
“I was surprised it was that
high,” he said, noting that lit-
tle publicity had been given to
them. “There were no kiosks
with information, and the bro-
chures had just been printed.”
Half of the respondents
answering the several surveys
taken at the reserves were Or-
egonians; of those, 16 percent
were coastal residents. Anoth-
er 14 to 19 percent were from
Washington; 4 to 7 percent
from California; and 5 to 6
were international travelers,
hailing from Asia and even
from Ghana and Rwanda.
Over half of the visitors
surveyed had college degrees
and household incomes of at
least $50,000. They were man-
agers, professionals or retired.
Those who visited Cape Fal-
con tended to be younger and
enjoyed hiking and surfing,
Swearingen said.
About 66 percent of the
visitors stayed overnight at the
coast, and the average number
of nights was six. While 25 to
45 percent of them stayed in
hotels, another 28 to 30 rented
condos or houses.
The No. 1 reason 86 to 92
percent of the visitors came
to the coast was to “go to the
beach;” over half said they en-
joyed tidepooling, he said. The
second reason was to “engage
in artistic endeavors,” usual-
ly photography or painting,
he added. Others wanted to
participate in water sports; 10
percent had fished on the coast
during their visit.
Hiking and sightseeing also
were among the coastal activi-
ties visitors enjoyed.
Future studies will focus on
what the public expects from
the reserves, why the public
does or doesn’t support the re-
serves and how, through time,
the public’s knowledge of
ocean issues changes.
Of those who were quizzed
on how much they knew about
pollution, marine debris, over
fishing, invasive species and
rising sea temperatures aver-
aged a score of 62, Swearingen
said. “Everybody flunked,” he
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side, meet your neighbors,
and keep the beach clean.
Volunteers at the Cannon
Beach Cleanup check in
outside City Hall at 10 a.m.
Available cleanup areas
span from Ecola State Park
to Arch Cape. For more in-
formation and to see a list
of all cleanup sites, please
visit solveoregon.org or call
Kaleen Boyle at 503-844-
9571, ext. 332. Visit solve-
oregon.org for more infor-
mation.
Beach season at Haystack Rock
Join the Haystack Rock
Awareness Program on the
beach, daily during low tide,
now through the end of Oc-
tober.
The program’s mission
is to protect, through educa-
tion, the intertidal and bird
ecology of the Marine Gar-
den and National Wildlife
Refuge at Haystack Rock.
HRAP rocky shore envi-
ronmental interpreters will
be on the beach, weather
permitting, during daily low
tides to educate visitors at
Haystack Rock about bio-
diversity found both on and
around the rock. The free,
public education program
will change as the seasons
change — with the arriv-
al and departure of various
animals to the area. The
program offers bird scopes,
NANCY MCCARTHY/FOR CANNON BEACH GAZETTE
Tommy Swearingen holds
up one of the visitor surveys
that was conducted at the
marine reserves.
added, although coastal resi-
dents fared better than those
living inland.
Neal Maine, co-founder of
the Haystack Rock Awareness
Program, who attended the
lecture, noted that the 1967
Oregon Beach Bill, which
deemed Oregon’s 361-mile
coastline public, omitted the
“coastal ecosystem.”
‘The marine reserves
brought out that attention to
ecological systems,” Maine
said. “They could be the step-
ping stones to future discus-
sions we need to have.”
aquaria stations, an interac-
tive visitor table with a mi-
croscope, and many other
fun and exciting educational
opportunities.
HRAP offers both vol-
unteer opportunities as well
as field trip opportunities.
Volunteers can register to
volunteer online, through
the city of Cannon Beach
website, with education
and volunteer coordinator
and 15-year veteran Lisa
Habecker. Events run May
through September and are
free and open to the public.
The week-long kids’ camps
and day camps for kids and
adults will run during the
summer months. Contact
program coordinator Me-
lissa Keyser at 503-436-
8060 or email hrap@ci.can-
non-beach.or.us.
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CANNON BEACH
Cannon Beach Bakery
Cannon Beach Book Company
Cannon Beach Beach Store
Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce
Cannon Beach City Hall
Cannon Beach Conference Center
Cannon Beach Family Market
Cannon Beach Historical Center
Cannon Beach Hotel
Cannon Beach Liquor Store
Cannon Beach Property Management
Cannon Beach RV Resort
Cannon Beach Vacation Rentals
Cascade Sotheby’s Realty
Duane Johnson Real Estate
Ecola Creek Lodge
EVOO
Hallmark Inns & Resorts
Inn at Cannon Beach
Inn at Haystack Rock
Mariner Market
Martin Hospitality
Mo’s Restaurant
Picnic Basket
Pig ‘N Pancake
Purple Moon/Morris’ Fireside Restaurant
RE/MAX Coastal Advantage
Sea Ranch RV Park
Sea Sprite at Haystack RockSea Sprite on the Estuary
Surfcrest Market
Sweet Basil’s Cafe & The Wine Bar
The Land’s End Motel
The Ocean Lodge
The Stephanie Inn
The Waves Motel
Tolovana Inn
US Bank/La Luna Loca
Windermere Stellar Real Estate
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Rite Aid
Safeway
Seaside Outlet Center
Seaside Signal/Cannon Beach Gazette Office
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CANNON BEACH OFFICE
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255 N. Hemlock, Ste. B1 • Cannon Beach, OR 97110
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