Tide pool ambassador Jamie Kish of Yachats has to “hold fast” to her work and life on the coast

By KATHLEEN O’CONNOR/Lincoln Chronicle

Hold fast. Two simple words that define Jamie Kish of Yachats, program associate at the Cape Perpetua Collaborative.

Words so important to her that she has “hold” tattooed across the four fingers of her right hand and “fast” across the four fingers of her left hand. They are a permanent reminder of the way she chooses to approach life on the central Oregon coast.

Kish has been holding fast to Oregon since she was 3, when her parents moved west from Pennsylvania with her and her newborn brother in tow. The move was mostly spontaneous, based on glowing reports received from Kish’s uncle, who had recently moved to the state.

They started out in a full U-Haul truck with Kish’s dad recording the whole adventure. They arrived two weeks and three VHS tapes later, settling in the country near Mary’s Peak, just outside of Philomath.

Kish’s childhood was adventurous, creative, and spontaneous. The family made spur-of-the-moment trips to the coast, often to the beaches near Yachats, always packing mustard and cheese sandwiches. Kish and her brother played for hours in the sand and the tide pools, while their mom read in a beach chair, blowing a whistle to call her children when she lost sight of them.

On a trip to Sea World at about age 10, Kish was allowed to touch a California Bat Ray, and through its thick, wet skin she felt an inexplicable, undeniable connection. In that moment she decided she would work with sea creatures when she grew up, and that is exactly what she’s done.

Question: What work background led you to the Cape Perpetua Collaborative?

Answer: As soon as I touched the Bat Ray I knew this was my life, and my mother began bringing me to Newport to volunteer at the Oregon Coast Aquarium when I was just 11. I volunteered there for eight years — throughout junior high school, high school and my years at Oregon Coast Community College.

When I graduated with a degree in aquarium science I landed an internship at the Seas at Disney’s Epcot Center in Florida, one of the world’s largest saltwater aquariums.  As an intern I spent a lot of time cutting up fish to feed the sharks, but I also helped to target train the stingrays to eat at a certain time and in a certain place.  Although target training is an established technique now, it was a very new concept back then. From there I went to the New York Aquarium in Coney Island. At the time the aquarium was in the process of being re-accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a very demanding process. I helped with that while also taking care of the jellyfish. Sadly, while I was there my partner died, which was deeply upsetting.

I needed a change, so I took a job as the backup animal care manager at the Disney aquarium in the Bahamas. Many of my helpers were the local Bahamian teenagers. The ocean in the Bahamas is beautiful, but it’s glassy smooth. I began to long for Oregon, missing the wild surf and the tidepool creatures I had grown up with. Eventually I made my way back, stopping for several months in Portland, and finally arriving in back Yachats in 2015, the place of so many childhood memories.

Q: What does the Cape Perpetua Collaborative do?

A: The collaborative is a tenacious organization, officially founded in 2018 by multiple individuals and groups who wanted to come together to promote stewardship and conservation for the cape and the Siuslaw National Forest. Until recently it has been fairly loosely organized, but last year we hired our first executive director, Talaina King, and she is working fast to bring more structure to the organization. It’s a 501(c)(3) organization so we work hard to secure funding and rely heavily on our many volunteers. We collaborate with 33 organizations and tribes.

Throughout the summer I oversee the tidepool tours at Bob Creek State Park, Heceta Head and Yachats state parks. These are very popular with locals and tourists alike and require careful planning to keep everyone safe and to obtain all the necessary permits. We also host bioblitzes — community science events — in the forest and on the shore. The topics vary. We will have fungi bioblitzes on our calendar soon, and I hope to organize some wildflower bioblitzs later in the spring. We offer many other events during the year to create opportunities for people to learn more about Cape Perpetua, the Siuslaw National Forest, and the work of the collaborative. Recently we hosted a walkable mandala created by Karen Chalmers and a class in making fish prints (Gyotaku) taught by Bruce Koike.

Q: How difficult has it been to succeed financially working for a non-profit organization?

A: Biologists in general aren’t highly paid, and neither are people who choose to work for nonprofits. Add to that the fact that my position is only 30 hours per week, while housing on the Oregon coast has become very expensive, and it’s been a constant struggle to make ends meet.

I supplement my income with photography — my business is called Girl in Water Photography — and with whatever odd jobs I can find. Once Ms. King realized that I couldn’t remember the last time I had a day off she insisted I take five days off this month – I’m so looking forward to it.

Q: Why do you believe so strongly that Yachats is where you are supposed to be?

A: My life is complicated by my health — I have a rare bone disease which causes significant pain some days, less on others. I also describe myself as “neurospicy” — I tend to have just one speed — ON — but then I crash. My public persona is always outgoing; I truly love people but I need a tremendous amount of down time to recharge.

Not too long after moving here I went through a very difficult divorce and was left living in a dilapidated trailer. It was literally unsafe, with no electricity. I contended with it for six long years. But then the community stepped in. One of my closest friends organized a GoFundMe campaign, and the people of Yachats rallied behind it. Now I have a new small house where the trailer once stood.  It was miraculous, truly, and it taught me that the people in my community see me for exactly who I am and love me exactly that way.

Q: Please tell us more about what “hold fast” means to you.

A: Hold fast means so many things. It means holding fast to the people and the places you love. I’ve been holding fast to Yachats since I arrived here, but it’s been holding and supporting me as well. It also means continuing to hope, and it means choosing to look for and see the beautiful in each day. And – holdfast is the name of the foot that our native bull kelp use to anchor themselves to the bottom of the ocean, able to stay attached despite strong currents and wild waves. Tatooing “hold fast” on my fingers is an affirmation of everything I hold dear.

Tell us a secret:

The best time to arrive at the beach for tide-pooling is 2 to 3 hours before the low tide. Then you can take your time, enjoying more distant pools as the tide goes out, without worrying that the incoming tide will catch you by surprise.

• Kathleen O’Connor is a Waldport freelance writer who can be reached via email at [email protected]