Pacific coast gray whales have gotten 13% shorter in the past 20-30 years, Oregon State study finds

June 13, 2024

By MOLLY ROSBACH/OSU News Service Gray whales that spend their summers feeding in the shallow waters off the Pacific Northwest coast have undergone a significant decline in body length since around the year 2000, a new Oregon State University study found. The smaller size could have major consequences for the health and reproductive success of the affected whales, and

Tickets are now on sale for annual Siletz Bay Music Festival in August

June 13, 2024

By Oregon Coast TODAY Expanding on a tradition of bringing world-class orchestral, jazz and chamber music to the Oregon coast, this year’s Siletz Bay Music Festival will add new twists and faces to its virtuoso-packed program, with 11 concerts scheduled over 10 days from Aug. 16-25. Concerts will be staged at four venues in Lincoln City and one in

Want to march in Yachats’ July 4 parade? There are deadlines coming up

June 12, 2024

YACHATS — Want to be part of Yachats’ July 4 La de da Parade? There are two ways to be involved and both have deadlines coming up soon. Would-be marchers need to sign up with the Yachats Chamber of Commerce, which invites anyone to participate by completing an application on its website. Applications must be submitted before June 25. Those

Starting out as U.S. Life Saving Service, Coast Guard has been on central coast since 1896

June 12, 2024

The U.S. Coast Guard has a long history on the central Oregon coast. The service was originally called the U.S. Life Saving Service and its first Yaquina Bay station in the Newport area was built in 1896 in what is now South Beach. Operations were moved to the dormant Yaquina Bay Lighthouse across the bay in 1906. In 1915,

Yachats Lions award $33,000 to 14 community organizations Tuesday

June 12, 2024

YACHATS – The Yachats Lions Club gave $33,000 to 14 community organizations Tuesday night to wrap up its charitable giving for 2024, led by $10,000 to two Waldport schools and $5,000 to the Yachats Food Pantry. Yachats Lions raise money through its busy thrift shop on West Fourth Street, pancake breakfasts, other fundraisers and donations. The club has also resumed

Lincoln County opens applications for $398,000 in water, sewer grants

June 11, 2024

Lincoln County is allocating $398,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act money to invest in local water, sewer and drainage districts serving unincorporated areas of the county. The county said this week that 13 districts are eligible for grants of up to $50,000, including the Southwest Lincoln Water PUD and Seal Rock Water District. Other eligible districts include the Lower

Leader of Oregon Black Pioneer group speaks Sunday in Yachats

June 11, 2024

YACHATS — The rich and often overlooked history and legacy of African-Americans in Oregon is the topic of a 2 p.m. Sunday presentation at the Yachats Commons. “Uncovering Oregon’s Black History, 450 Years in 45 Minutes,” will be presented by Zachary Stocks, executive director of Oregon Black Pioneers, a historical society dedicated to “safeguarding and sharing the experiences” of African-Americans

New Cascadia subduction zone research says worst of potential earthquakes could be north of Oregon

June 9, 2024

By NIKK OGASA/Science News The most destructive Cascadian earthquakes are likely to slam offshore of Washington state and Vancouver Island and not necessarily the Oregon coast, new data reveal. The Cascadia megathrust is a massive fault thought capable of generating devastating magnitude 9 earthquakes similar to the 2011 Tohoku temblor, but its structure has long eluded scientists. Now, data

Agencies end response to coastal tar balls, still don’t know origin

June 8, 2024

Nearly three weeks after oil coated and killed several birds on the Oregon and southern Washington coasts, officials say they still don’t know where the sticky petroleum product came from. But they say they’ve done their best to clean up the beaches that were affected by the mysterious balls of tar and they’ve ended an effort that brought together multiple

A wandering wolverine is back on the coast — and caught (then released) in a trap on the beach

June 8, 2024

By KAREN RICHARDS/KLCC News There was yet another wolverine encounter on the Oregon coast late last week – and this time visiting the beach where it was caught in a foot-hold trap. Wolverines are rare in Oregon, but a year ago there were several sightings along the Columbia River, and this spring sightings along the central Oregon coast and