Summer in Full Swing on Oregon Coast

SALEM, Ore., Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- With sunny, warm days here, summer has arrived on the Oregon coast and Oregon's famously public beach and state park system are ready.

There are more than 100 public beach accesses and 15 state park campgrounds on the coast. Out of 363 miles of coastline, Oregon has 200 miles of sandy beach where people can enjoy a walk, build sand castles, beachcomb, toss Frisbees (TM) and relax. The other 163 miles are rocky shores and headlands, containing some of the best tidepooling on the west coast. The Oregon Coast Visitors Association lists hundreds of summer events -- concerts, festivals, outdoor adventures and open-air markets -- online at visittheoregoncoast.com/events/.

Volunteers, state park staff, and city, county and federal workers have made a special effort to collect the usual beach debris in June and July. Nearly 1,000 volunteers, working with the Oregon Marine Debris Team, have held 15 cleanups since June. Most of the material removed after July 4 was related to fireworks (which are not permitted on the ocean shore), but some of the debris -- especially styrofoam on the north coast -- is associated with the 2011 tsunami that struck Japan. Debris containers have been set up at 32 locations on the coast, and any visitor can help by getting an official beach cleanup bag from any state park campground. Unusually large objects and larger-than-normal piles of debris can be reported by calling 211 (1-800-SAFENET) on the coast, or by email with photos to [email protected].

Thanks to the coordinated efforts of volunteers and public workers, the beach is in good shape for summer. To sign up for a volunteer mailing list, visit http://bit.ly/MvxUI4. To participate in—or propose—an organized cleanup, visit solv.org/get-involved/volunteer-event.

Coast state park campsite rentals are running about 10 percent ahead of 2011. Reservations may be made by calling 1-800-452-5687 (or online at oregonstateparks.org) as little as two days in advance. Two coast campgrounds are first-come, first-served: Washburne (Florence), Cape Blanco (Port Orford).

Beach safety tips are online at respectthebeach.org.

Several excellent webcams are available on the coast, including at least one in Seaside that allows visitors to control the camera and get a good view of the beach: http://www.seasidechamber.com/camhtml/index.html. For coast photos, contact Chris Havel from the Oregon Parks & Recreation Department.

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department's mission is to "Provide and protect outstanding natural, scenic, cultural, historic and recreational sites for the enjoyment and education of present and future generations."It operates a system of State Parks , Historic and Natural Areas and manages a number of  special programs including the Oregon Exposition Center , Scenic Rivers, Recreation Trails, Historic Preservation, and Ocean Shores.  OPRD serves more than 40.2 million visitors per year.

SOURCE Oregon Parks and Recreation Department