After a decade of hard work, careful study, and strong community engagement, Oregon's ocean protection efforts are at a tipping point. We now have an historic opportunity to create Oregon's first system of marine reserves and protected areas that will safeguard the bounty and beauty of Oregon's coast for generations.
Volunteer community teams produced plans that drew boundaries around ecologically important areas and proposed management measures to protect these critical places. Because they are developed with the best available science, the new reserves will allow plants and animals to flourish and reproduce -- creating "ecological savings accounts."
Urge Gov. Kitzhaber to implement the Ocean Policy Advisory Committee's unanimous recommendation to designate marine reserve sites at Cape Falcon, Cascade Head, and Cape Perpetua. Ask that he honor the decisions made by coastal volunteers and marine scientists who invested 25,000 volunteer hours in public meetings to come to these recommendations.
Dear Governor Kitzhaber,
I write to you today asking for your support and leadership in designating Oregon's Ocean Policy Advisory Committee's recommended marine reserve sites at Cape Falcon, Cascade Head, and Cape Perpetua.
Governor, in 2000 you began Oregon's marine reserve process. Since then, 25,000 volunteer hours have been spent by conservationists, fishermen, scientists, and local leaders crafting a plan that protects these special places in a way that allows all stakeholders to move forward together. Unfortunately, the state has yet to honor their work and designate the sites.
These common sense protections are needed now. These areas will allow plants and animals to flourish and reproduce--creating "ecological savings accounts." Habitat destruction, increased demand for fresh seafood, climate change, and other pressures are growing by the year, and ocean ecosystems need a lifeline in order to survive and thrive into the future.
Please respect the work of your citizen volunteers and designate marine reserves at Cape Falcon, Cascade Head, and Cape Perpetua. Together, we can chart a course toward a bright ocean future for our kids and grandkids. Thank you for your continued support of this process.
