Oregon will take new measures to protect estuaries from habitat destruction.
Estuaries are habitats where saltwater and freshwater meet. Conservationists are concerned about the damage they receive from human activity and climate change.
Officials will use sophisticated mapping to improve estuary conservation statewide. They’ll begin with the Yaquina River in Lincoln County, which hasn’t had a policy update since 1982.
Lisa Phipps is the Coastal Policy Specialist for the state Department of Land Conservation and Development. She says that scientific gains prompted these updates.
“Estuaries are some of the most diverse ecologies in the world, and so we’re learning new things every day.”
City, county and state agencies are involved in this project, as is the Siletz tribal government. The first plan is due August 2023.
