Marine Reserves, What’s Up?

By: Sierra Club Volunteer Lon Otterby

We are down to the wire for establishing a network of marine reserves on Oregon’s coast and we need your help!  Three community teams of 16 stakeholders each have selected three scenarios for each of the proposed sites at Cape Falcon, Cascade Head, and Cape Perpetua.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODF&W) is now analyzing the economic and biological impacts of each of these scenarios.

On October 1^st ODF&W will send that analysis back to the community teams for their final selection to be sent to the Governor’s Ocean Policy Advisory Council by November 1^st.

We are supporting one scenario for each of the proposed marine reserves based on minimum size and maximum habitat. They are Cape Falcon # 2, Cascade Head # 3 and Cape Perpetua # 1.

The public comment period on these scenarios ends September 26, 2010 at 5pm. Click here to open the official public comment website — click on the scenario you support, fill in the information supporting the scenario and send.