We are not in Colorado any more.....

I don't think I have ever lived in a place where the environments are different yet codependent. Here on the central coast of Oregon there are lush old growth forests on steep hillsides that tilt down towards the ocean and beaches. Coastal fog as well as rain provide moisture for forests where sea birds nest. The ocean and beaches are home to countless species who depend on each other for survival.
The Oregon coast sits on top of the meeting of two plates which mean that earthquakes or tsunamis can happen at any time. The entire coast has "safe" areas marked and residents live with emergency kits and evacuation plans. No one sits around and worries about this but they live with this possibility the way we live knowing that a forest fire can devastate Evergreen.

This same geology creates beautiful rock basalt beds on the beaches for tide pools and an amazing amount of marine life on or near the coast.

The basalt has been sculpted into caves and chasms or here at Thor's Well a large round hole that fills from the bottom as the waves come in.

Tide pool with sea urchins and sea lettuce

Ochre sea stars and giant green sea anemones cling to the rock

Then there are the sea creatures whose fate is dependant on outside factors. The Velella velella is a small jelly fish like animal that lives out in the sea. It has a sail on its body that helps it travel through the sea. When the winds from the west are too strong it is helplessly blown on to the shore, sometimes by the thousands. Knowledgeable beach combers will tell you not to avoid the piles of dead (smelly)  Velella velella because those same winds can blow glass floats ashore too.

Velella velella washed ashore, this is only a few but the beaches have thousands of them!

Giant Skunk Cabbage with a small slug inside

                                             They have some pretty big Banana Slugs here.

We went on a hike with a Forest Service botanist. The variety of vegetation is overwhelming.

The Native American history is as heartbreaking here as in other parts of the country. There were many related but separate bands living along this part of the coast. They traveled only a short distance to the coast and back inland depending on the season. They used wild plants for food and fiber and ate the abundant seafood on the shore and in the ocean and Salmon and other fish found in the rivers. There were  few problems between the tribes because the resources were so plentiful.  The white men's  history with the Native Americans  is filled with broken promises and broken treaties. For many years the Native tribes avoided the Yachats area because it was the site of so many abuses. Two local women became interested in the area history and through their research  they were able to piece together the events which forced the Native Americans from their homeland. Amanda was a Native woman who suffered greatly and a trail was created, on land donated by one of the women, and named after Amanda. Native peoples have since returned to the area and have found some healing walking the trail named after their ancestor. This statue celebrates Amanda and her people. 

Today our over use of the natural resources has caused officials to restrict fishing or has caused the resources to be depleted. There is a group of dedicated locals who are fighting to restore habitat and prevent the extinction of many species. More on that next time!