Oregon is nationally recognized as a leader in coastal ocean planning. Two major initiatives for Oregon's coastal managers are mitigating coastal hazards and managing Pacific Ocean resources. Oregon's waters, which extend three miles from the coast, include intertidal areas, offshore rocks, and reefs -- wildlife habitat susceptible to damage from human recreation. Local governments oversee activity along the state's coast by following local land use plans that are consistent with statewide goals for the coast. Fishing, forestry, dairy farming, and tourism lead the state's coastal industries.

Oregon's Ocean-Coastal Management Program (OOCMP) knits together various state statutes for managing coastal lands and waters into a single coordinated package. The package, administered by the Department of Land Conservations, consists of: the 19 Statewide Planning Goals - which set requirements on how land use decisions are to be made by local governments and state agencies; the Land Conservation and Development Commission - which is responsible for adopting and interpreting most of the 19 Statewide Planning Goals; City and County Comprehensive Land Use Plans that meet the statewide planning goals and that are coordinated with relevant programs of Oregon state agencies; and State Agencies and Natural Resource Laws including the Oregon Beach Bill, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, and the Removal / Fill Law, administered by the Oregon Division of State Lands.

NOAA's latest evaluation of Oregon's Coastal Management Program can be found here.

Footnotes

↑ Bernd-Cohen, T. and M. Gordon. "State Coastal Program Effectiveness in Protecting Natural Beaches, Dunes, Bluffs, and Rock Shores." Coastal Management 27:187-217, 1999.
↑ Bernd-Cohen, T. and M. Gordon. "State Coastal Program Effectiveness in Protecting Natural Beaches, Dunes, Bluffs, and Rock Shores." Coastal Management 27:187-217. 1999.

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