Land Use News Archive

All articles related to land use

Entrance to Lighthouse Beach footpath.
May 14, 2022

Campaign Launched to Preserve Lighthouse Beach Access

lighthouse_beach_access_1-26-22.jpeg Oregon Shores has worked to preserve access to our public beaches throughout our 50-year history. Access was frequently threatened decades ago, and recent events demonstrate that it isn’t guaranteed now without a battle. Our Beach Bill assures public access along the shoreline, but access to the shoreline...Read more
Old growth forest at Colebrook Quarry site
March 31, 2022

Questions Raised about Curry County Quarry Plan

hunter_creek_old_growth_rich_nawa-kswild.jpeg Oregon Shores has joined other conservation groups in raising serious questions about a proposed new rock quarry in the Hunter Creek watershed in Curry County. We have...Read more
Offshore wind turbines.\Photo courtesy of Stanford University.
March 9, 2022

Offshore Wind Energy Development May Come to Oregon

Offshore wind turbines.\Photo courtesy of NOAA. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has Oregon in its sights for development of wind energy turbines in federal waters off our shores. In conjunction with the state’s Department of Land Conservation and Development, BOEM planners have been assessing Oregon’s wind energy potential. Now, BOEM...Read more
February 28, 2022

CoastWatch Joins Hunt for Hybrid Beachgrass

Rebecca Mostow in the field. Much of the terrain of the Oregon's sandy shoreline we see today has been shaped by two dominant, invasive beachgrass species. They build the tall, stable dunes that parallel sandy beaches, providing some protection for infrastructure but causing the decline of native animal and plant species. A team from Oregon State University...Read more
January 10, 2022

Shoreline Destruction Takes Place While Appeal Pending

Destruction of the shoreline at Pine Beach due to shoreline armoring project.\Photo by Randy Stevenson. Oregon Shores is battling what we consider to be a grossly inappropriate shoreline armoring project in Tillamook County. Joined by Surfrider, we are appealing a decision by the county commissioners to allow an “exception” to statewide planning Goal 18, which...Read more
Mile 147.\Photo by Lyndell Wilken.
January 2, 2022

Mile-by-Mile Competition Concludes

Mile 147.\Photo by Lyndell Wilken. By way of honoring our 50 th anniversary and laying the groundwork for the next 50 years, we launched a special fund-raising campaign, pegged to our signature CoastWatch program. We have a special place on our website devoted to this campaign: ...Read more
Jordan Cove
December 2, 2021

Jordan Cove Victory—At Least for Now

jordan_cove_and_tip_of_north_bend_rena_olson.jpg Exciting news for anyone concerned about land use, estuaries, and climate change: The Jordan Cove Energy Project has abandoned its effort to build an LNG (liquefied natural gas) export terminal on Coos Bay’s North Spit. On Wednesday, Nov. 30, Pembina, the Canadian multinational behind...Read more
November 22, 2021

Jordan Cove Denied Key Dredging Permits

Coos Bay estuary, with site of proposed LNG terminal in the cove at center-left.\Photo by Rena Olson, with support from Lighthawk. Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) handed two major victories on May 4 to Oregon Shores and other opponents of the proposed Jordan Cove LNG terminal, which Canadian multinational Pembina is seeking to build on Coos Bay’s...Read more
November 11, 2021

Oregon Shores Appeals Tillamook County Approval of Riprap

pine_beach_from_shore_chris_berrie.jpeg Oregon Shores has appealed a decision by Tillamook County that would allow a major shoreline armoring project to take place through an “exception” to statewide land use law. Surfrider Foundation has joined us in the appeal. On Friday, Nov. 5, we filed a “Notice of Intent to Appeal” a decision by the...Read more
September 1, 2021

Speak Out on Forest Plans and Water Quality

forest_clearcut_siuslaw_rena_olson.jpg The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) is accepting comments about both its Forest Management Plan (FMP) and its Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). Our colleagues with the North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection are asking for the public’s help in calling for change. Since there’s a Board of...Read more