Did you know that the planning and designation of Oregon’s marine reserve system was over 10 years in the making? Or that marine reserve community team members, representing a diversity of stakeholder interests, collectively put in over 25,000 volunteer hours in their efforts to evaluate and develop recommendations that led to the designation of the Cape Perpetua, Cascade Head, and Cape Falcon marine reserve sites?

The process that led to Oregon’s five marine reserve sites involved multiple phases and coastal community members, ocean users, and other interested Oregonians working with state decision makers to design and site marine reserves and protected areas in locations that would provide ecological benefits while minimizing adverse social and economic impacts to ocean users and coastal communities.

We have recently developed a chronicle of Oregon’s marine reserve planning and designation process, from 2000-2012, that we’re happy to share for folks to see how Oregon arrived at the current five sites and the mandates that steered the planning, siting, and final designations. This chronicle will be included as a chapter in our ODFW Marine Reserves Program Synthesis Report that will be out early next year.