Elakha Alliance’s Board President, Robert Bailey, will present at the Yaquina Birders and Naturalists meeting on Thursday, Feb. 16. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at OSU Extension Lincoln County, located at 1211 SE Bay Blvd. in Newport. It is a free meeting, and open to the public.
Once common on the Oregon coast, sea otters were hunted nearly to extinction for their rich fur by the early 1900s. Although they have returned elsewhere, they remain missing on the Oregon coast. What will it take to help this keystone species return to Oregon? This talk will explore the history of sea otters in Oregon, their ecological and cultural importance, and the prospects for their return and recovery. It will touch on the mission of the Elakha Alliance, an Oregon nonprofit organization devoted to sea otter conservation.
Bob Bailey is the Board President of the Elakha Alliance. He grew up on the coast and is a graduate of Portland State University with a bachelor’s degree in earth science. He retired in 2011 after nearly 30 years of working on coastal and ocean planning and management for the State of Oregon Coastal Management Program. He has served on the board of directors of the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition and the Oregon Wave Energy Trust.
