In an informational webinar hosted by the Surfrider Foundation and Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition on September 26, state officials detailed regulations around shore armoring under Oregon’s land use regime. The webinar marked the beginning of the organizations’ Oregon Beaches Forever campaign that seeks to protect and preserve the state’s coastline for future generations.
Kevin Herkamp, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s (OPRD) ocean shore program coordinator, and Rhianon Bezore, a coastal shores specialist with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), discussed the program that regulates beach development, which their departments jointly oversee.
Herkamp started the presentation with a history of state policy regulating beaches. The first step towards protecting public access came with the 1913 classification of Oregon’s beaches as a state highway. That designation lasted until 1965, when the beaches were reclassified from a highway to a state recreation area.