Family FriendlyLearnNo Pets
Join the Friends of Netarts Bay WEBS, Tillamook Estuaries Partnership (TEP), and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) for an exploration among the eelgrass in Netarts Bay! During this event, we will learn about current monitoring efforts and findings, and we will also get our feet wet as we explore the eelgrass and diverse critters that call it home. This is a family-friendly event that will be fun and appropriate for all ages!
Registration is required for this event and will be open starting Saturday, June 28th!
Why Should I Care About Eelgrass?
Eelgrass is incredibly important to our ecosystems, as it is the foundation for a highly productive food web in our bays. Among other things, eelgrass has the following functions:
- Produces food and oxygen
- Improves water quality but filtering pollutants
- Absorbs excess nutrients
- Stores greenhouse gases (ex. carbon dioxide)
- Supports shoreline structure to mitigate erosion
- Acts as a nursery for juvenile fish and other species
People are often unaware of these important ecosystem functions and therefore eelgrass is often disturbed and degraded. Offsetting the negative effects to this important species starts with education!
On Saturday July 12th, Tony D’Andrea from the ODFW Shellfish team and Flynn DeLany, TEP’s Field and Data Scientist, will speak to the importance of eelgrass, common misconceptions, research methods, and current findings in the area. Low tide will be at 9:18am and therefore, the event will take place bright and early starting at 7:30am and wrap up by 9:30am.
Parking:
Parking is limited at the Netarts Bay View Point lot. Overflow parking will be at Netarts Bay Shellfish Parking, which is 0.2 miles south of the Bay View Point lot. If you would like to carpool, please refer to this google sheet where you can note if you would like to drive/be driven and your contact information. This sheet is not monitored and it is up to attendees to arrange their own transportation.
Accessibility:
There is uneven terrain at this location and the site is not wheelchair accessible. If you would like to attend and have accessibility needs, please contact danielle@tbnep.org. Prior to the event, pictures of the site will be located on the Know Before You Go Resource page.
What to Wear/Bring:
Please wear boots and clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty! We will be in the wet sand and it will be difficult to walk without proper footwear. We also recommend bringing a water bottle, layers for unpredictable weather on the Oregon coast, and sunscreen.
Cost:
There is no cost to attend this program. Please consider supporting WEBS and TEP with tax-exempt donations.
Stay connected:
Friends of Netarts Bay WEBS – www.netartsbaywebs.org, Facebook and Instagram pages (@netartsbaywebs)
Tillamook Estuaries Partnership (TEP) – www.tbnep.org