Our mission is the protection and preservation of rocky shore intertidal life, nesting and migrating sea birds, and marine mammals that inhabit Devil’s Punch Bowl State Natural Area, Otter Rock Marine Gardens, Otter Rock Marine Reserve, and the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
Sunday, April 26th | 2:30pm – 4:30pm
Beverly State Park Day Use Area
Celebrate Earth Day and join us for some family fun! At this kid-friendly workshop, we will make a sand painting from beach sand, glue, dye, and stencils. Learn how the sand on the beach is created as you put your creativity to work.
Life in the Kelp: Predators, Prey, and Ecosystem Balance
Thursday, May 7th | 6-7:30pm
Co-sponsored by Friends of Otter Rock Marine Reserve.
In 2014, sea star wasting disease was detected along the Oregon coast. The loss of sunflower sea stars to this disease has impacted kelp forests and the ecosystem. Join researcher Miles Rough to understand the role of sunflower sea stars as a key predator influencing urchin populations and ecosystem stability.
Saturday, May 9th | 12:30pm – 2:30pm
Beverly Beach State Park Day Use Area
Enjoy a Mother’s Day weekend activity with the second in our series of free, family-friendly workshops. We will gather materials of different shapes and sizes on the beach to create intriguing designs on light-reactive paper.
At just 1.2 square miles, Otter Rock Marine Reserve is the smallest of five designated sites along the Oregon Coast where no fishing, no wildlife removal, and no ocean development are allowed.
This mini yet mighty marine reserve provides a unique and nutrient-rich habitat in which an amazing mosaic of wildlife thrives.
Take a tour with us and hear how Otter Rock Marine Reserve contributes a wealth of value to scientific research, the economy, and conservation efforts.
Friends of Otter Rock Marine Reserve recognizes the lands of Otter Rock as part of the ancestral homelands of the Yaqo’n or Yaquina people who lived between Cape Foulweather and Beaver Creek since time immemorial. The neighbors to the north, the Tillamook peoples, named a rock formation off the coast of Devil’s Punchbowl State Natural Area as əs·hí·higəl ʃə́·nʃis (us-HII-hi-gul SHUN-shis).
Translated to English as Otter Rock, this formation is the namesake of the present-day marine reserve. Our organization commits to respecting each tribe’s history, cultural contributions, and living descendants, including those of the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians, in our work of promoting coastal conservation. We recognize the loss of cultural and ecological richness through colonization and overexploitation, and work in support of the indigenous people who continue to steward these coastal lands today.