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Seaside Aquarium Outreach:
In 2018, the Seaside Aquarium was involved with many different educational programs and fundraiser. We pride ourselves on being an active member of our local community, teaching children and adults alike about our local marine life, beach ecology, and marine conservation. We hosted over 55 different school groups and non-profits, allowing over 1,500 children and adults to experience and learn about marine life in a new and fascinating way. We brought educational displays to five different events and participated in fundraisers for the Wildlife Center of the North Coast, Seaside Kids, Necanicum Watershed Council, the Mudd Nick Foundation, Friends of Haystack Rock, Seaside Rotary, and the Seaside Downtown Development Association. Our annual food drive, “Feed the Seals, Feed the Community”, gained the participation of over 107 people and we were able to collect over 250 pounds of food for the South County Food Bank. Our free educational Beach Discovery Program ran on the weekends throughout the summer, making it our 23rd year in a row providing visitors and locals with information about the ecology of Seaside Beach, the changes we have seen throughout the years, and helping to introduce them to a world living underneath the sand they may have never known about. We talked with and educated 2,341 people this beach season and are looking forward to next summer’s program. In January, an old oil container in Astoria started to leak into the Columbia River. Oregon Fish and Wildlife asked if we could monitor marine life which may have been affected by the spill. Aided by the US Coast Guard, we offered our expertise on marine mammals and the condition of our local population. Surveying the mouth of the Columbia River by boat, we were able to confirm-- thanks to the quick actions of the Oregon Response-- that no marine mammals were affected by the spill. This was a great relief to everyone.
We were also able to aid in the rescue and transportation of a cold-stunned Olive Ridley sea turtle. The small, 20-pound turtle was found on the Columbia River Beach, in Fort Steven’s State Park. Rangers found the turtle and quickly called the Seaside Aquarium. It was one of the smallest sea turtles we have seen in our area; we were easily able to get the turtle off the beach and into a warmer and more stable environment. Once arrangements were made with the Oregon Coast Aquarium, one of only two licensed facilities in the Pacific Northwest to rehabilitate sea turtles, we quickly transported the turtle to them. Throughout the year we responded to 121 distressed, ill, or injured marine mammals. Through education and monitoring, we were able to keep 14 healthy seal pups on the beach and out of well-meaning people’s bathtubs.
For the first time since Cape Falcon became a marine reserve, Friends of Cape Falcon hosted private boat tours for the leaders of conservation in Oregon. Our marine mammal expert was invited along to point out and discuss the critical habitats within the reserve used by marine mammals. Hosting a harbor seal rookery, haul-out spots for sea lions, and deep waterways used by migrating whales, the marine reserve plays an important role in the life of marine mammals. We feel that it is important to bring awareness to both the public and to government officials about the necessity of protecting the sensitive environments that these animals need to survive. In the future, we hope to continue to participate in events that bring to light how important it is to protect the environment. To that end, in 2019 we will be hosting “Treasure the Beach” in conjunction with SOLVE, Seashore Inn, City of Seaside, and Seaside Downtown Development Association. We will be putting on a special beach clean up on the first Saturday of every month from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
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