Dear Reader,

We need your help! Our proposals to recognize Cape Lookout and Cape Foulweather as iconic sites within the Rocky Habitat Management Strategy are currently under review - see our Rocky Habitat update below to learn how you can support that effort!

BIRD WALKS

It was cold and wet, but eleven of us enjoyed walking the Alder Island Loop Trail at Siletz Bay Wildlife Refuge last month. This Saturday, we'll Cutler City and Josephine Young Wayside (time permitting). Social distancing and masks are required.

ROCKY HABITAT CAMPAIGN

We were dealt a blow at the first meeting of the Ocean Policy Advisory Council’s (OPAC’s) Rocky Habitat Working Group on Feb. 25, during which neither of our proposals - one for Cape Foulweather and one for Cape Lookout - was recommended for advancement to the next step in the evaluation process. This was despite previous high praise from agency and working group personnel. And we were in good company; of the twelve (12) proposals presented by various communities and organizations along the coast, seven (7) were denied an initial recommendation.

It is important to note that the Working Group’s concerns are simply based on needing more information and clarity.

So what are the next steps? We’re taking action in two ways:
1) preparing written responses to the issues raised by the working group, and
2) undertaking a public awareness campaign.
And we need your help! We are publishing two stunning videos to showcase the capes, running ads in Oregon Coast Today, posting on Facebook, and much more!

We need you to write letters to the editors of our local papers, share our Facebook posts, talk to friends and neighbors, and sign our petition! In April, the Working Group will reconvene to consider public input, including our responses to their technical concerns. Your comments and support are essential to shaping the final recommendations to OPAC. We’re truly confident everyone’s hard work will pay off, and we appreciate your support!

Visit us at lincolncityaudubon.org to learn more and to sign our petition or email your comments to: TSP.Comments@state.or.us

Thank you for continuing to hang in there with us - we are excited to be sharing this momentous effort in Oregon's coastal management strategy with you!

That's it for this month. Stay safe and be well!

dawn villaescusa, President Audubon Society of Lincoln City