The Coast Range Association, Surfrider Foundation and the Economic Development Alliance of Lincoln County will host a policy and science forum about three active threats to the Oregon’s coastal economic future. The event will kick off with brief updates on each issue.

Professor George Waldbasser will discuss ocean acidification and its impact on coastal fisheries. Professor Peter Ruggerio will discuss sea level rise and coastal beach erosion. Waldbasser and Ruggerio are professors at the OSU College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. Charlie Plybon, Oregon Policy Manager for Surfrider Foundation, will provide an update on the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s planned oil and gas leasing program off the Oregon coast.

The presenters will be joined by State Senator Arnie Roblan and Representative David Gomberg for a panel discussion of the issues. The forum will conclude with a question and answer period between the panel and the audience.

Global climate change, driven by the buildup of greenhouse gases, is raising atmospheric and ocean temperatures and increasing carbon uptake by ocean waters. The known outcome of climate change is sea level rise and ocean acidification both of which threaten to impact coastal communities. Recently, the Trump administration began a process to open the Northwest’s continental shelf to oil and gas exploration. The administration’s decision reverses decades of closure to oil and gas exploration.
All three topics are timely and relevant to the future health and welfare of every coastal community. The forum will held Sunday, April 29th (1pm to 3pm) in the Auditorium of the Lincoln City Cultural Center, 540 NE Hwy 101, Lincoln City.

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