North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection is looking forward to a busy spring and summer. We have a lot of great events coming up, including a presentation by University of Oregon students, a screening of the film “Free to Grow,” and more.
Community Meetings
All are welcome at our monthly meetings in Astoria and Rockaway Beach.
The Astoria meeting is the third Wednesday of each month – next meeting will be April 15th.
We meet in Rockaway on the last Tuesday of each month at St. Mary by the Sea Parish Hall, 275 S. Pacific St., Rockaway Beach, from 6-7:30 p.m. The next meeting is Tuesday, March 31.
Public Interest Environmental Law Conference
North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection was honored to present at this year’s Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC). The panel presentation, “Speaking Truth to Power: Standing up for Safe Drinking Water and Clean Air through Community Grassroots Advocacy.”
Important dates:
March 23: Deadline for public comments on the Trump administration’s latest plan for Bureau of Land Management forest would upend decades of settled law and accelerate the clearcutting of old growth forests in Western Oregon. Oregon Wild has a good overview of what’s at stake, with a link to make comments, here or call the congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your senator or representative.
April 18 – Coastal Futures: The Path Forward:
NCCWP is excited to invite the North Coast community to participate in a live event, “Coastal Futures: The Path Forward,” presented by students in the Master of Landscape Architecture program at the University of Oregon. For the second year, Rockaway Beach was the basis for research by masters students led by Ignacio López Busón, Assistant Professor of Climate Change Resilience at the University of Oregon. The students analyzed Rockaway Beach as a case study for how small, coastal communities can improve their resiliency in the face of global climate change. St. Mary by the Sea Parish Hall, 275 S. Pacific St., Rockaway Beach, Saturday, April 18, at 10 a.m.
**Currently seeking volunteers for this event:
Contact rockawaycitizen.water@gmail.com or attend our March meeting if you can help out.
April 20: Letter writing and mapping education event in Astoria.
We will address the Oregon Department of Forestry’s annual operating plan (AOP), which will be released in early April. Also, Jennifer Eisele will offer instruction on using Beyond Toxics’ user-friendly mapping tool to locate logging and pesticide spraying locations across the state of Oregon, based on the state’s FERNS mapping system. Wherever you live, this new mapping tool can show pesticide and logging activities across public and private industrial lands in Oregon. KALA, 1017 Marine Drive, Astoria, 5-7 p.m.
June 4: Jesse Andrew Clark screens his short documentary, “Free to Grow”
The film explores the impact of industrial pesticide use on Oregon families. Jennifer Eisele will offer instruction on using Beyond Toxics’ user-friendly mapping tool to locate pesticide spraying logging activities across the state of Oregon. Bay City Arts Center, 5680 A St., Bay City, Oregon, time TBA.
Ongoing:
NCCWP and the Rockaway Beach Public Library present an exhibit, “What is a Wetland?” The display offers maps, illustrations, and explains the importance of wetlands for environmental health and clean drinking water. The exhibit runs through April 7 at 120 N. Coral St. in Rockaway.
Updates:
Protect Lane County Watersheds has succeeded in getting Measure 20-373, aka the Lane County Watershed Bill of Rights, on the ballot. This measure protects drinking water and local watersheds by proposing new, more protective legal rights for watersheds including the Alsea, Siuslaw, Long Tom, McKenzie, and Upper, Middle, and Coast Forks of the Willamette. Don’t forget to vote on May 19, 2026!
Our comments are being heard! The state received about 2700 comments on changes to its Forest Management Plan (FMP), the majority of them from conservation-minded people. Every time we comment they know we are watching and that we care. Of course change comes slowly. The controversial, intrusive and upsetting state timber sale from a couple of years ago, Davis Ridge, east of Astoria, is being logged right now. This tract backs up to people’s homes and will likely affect their land, water and emotions for years to come. Time to grieve for the ecosystem, the animals, the water and the people in Brownsmead, but also time to resolve to keep fighting to stop our public lands from being decimated.
Ways to Get Involved
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Summer tabling events (locations in Tillamook, Rockaway Beach, Seaside, Astoria)
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Help with monitoring ongoing logging and pesticide applications
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Hanging posters for upcoming events
About us
NCCWP wants no more logging and pesticide use in community water sources regardless of who owns the land, and wants an end to pesticide applications near where people live, work, and recreate. Safe drinking water and clean air are part of the public trust that we all are entitled to have. Please help North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection safeguard and restore our drinking watersheds.
www.healthywatershed.org | www.facebook.com/
For more information, contact rockawaycitizen.water@gmail.com
Support
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to NCCWP. You can donate by check or online via debit or credit card by visiting https://healthywatershed.org/donate/