Marine Reserves and Really Big Trees

Our oceans are threatened by natural and human stressors that affect the health of that environment and can negatively impact us all. In Oregon, citizens, government and environmental groups met to address this problem. They created Marine Reserves and Marine Protected Areas to provide an underwater safe zone for plants and animals to help boost diversity and improve the health of the ocean. Cape Perpetua is one of those reserves and has an amazing variety of life in the tide pools and the rocky areas and forest for nesting birds. Every day we get to see wildlife that is very foreign to mountain dwellers like us.

Giant Green Sea Anemones

Ochre Sea Star and Barnacles

Sand Dollars

Goose Neck Barnacle off the rock

Giant California Mussels

Sea Anemones buried by sand

Seaweed bed

This sand worm can bite!

The tide pools are also feeling the stress of a changing climate. Since there have not been any strong winter storms for the past two years the sand that would normally be washed away is still on shore and is filling in some of the tide pools.



On a recent long weekend we drove south to California to see the Redwoods. There are some big Sitka Spruce here in Oregon, Cape Perpetua has the second oldest at 550 years old and a 40 ft circumference but California has Coast Redwoods which are the tallest trees in the world and can live to be 2000 years old. It was amazing to see these giants who seemed solidly rooted into the earth.

Of course we had to drive thru

Lots of burls on the trees but this one was special