Photo: The Trust for Public Land
In Hawaii and Oregon, surfers who support land trusts are on the verge of saving thousands of acres of forestland from development. On Oahu, “protecting and opening over 3,700 acres of Waimea Native Forest, accessible from the North Shore, will allow for a much-needed increase of public opportunities for recreation, hunting, hiking, cultural access, and education,” Leslie Uptain told The Inertia. She works in Honolulu at the Trust for Public Land.
“There are often issues around water quality in Waimea Bay, especially after heavy rainfall,” Uptain said. “This is due to brown water runoff from the mountains above. The Waimea Native Forest property is watershed upland from Waimea Bay. By protecting the property, future reforestation efforts will significantly reduce brown water runoff.”
Meanwhile, Seaside, Oregon is home to some of the state’s most popular surf spots. A couple of miles down the coast, the North Coast Land Conservancy is in the final stages of a campaign to save 3,500 acres of temperate rainforest. In this area, mountains are more than 3,000 feet tall within a mile of the ocean. “It will be the first place in Oregon, and one of few places in the world, where an entire coastal watershed is permanently conserved, from the headwaters to the ocean,” according to the group’s website.
Katie Voelke, who runs the Conservancy, says “We are very confident we’re going to get this done. It’s something people are starting to rally around — not just locals, but people from Portland who visit the area.”
The U.S. is losing an average of 6,000 acres of open space every day, according to The Trust For Public Land. Almost every part of the U.S. has a land trust fighting to save open space. They need donations and volunteers. You can find your local land trust at www.FindALandTrust.org.
