Give Back With Your Visit

We love our beaches, but they take a hit from both visitors and natural forces. Litter washes up from ocean currents, gets left behind by beachgoers, and accumulates after storms. Even spending an hour picking up trash helps protect marine life and keeps the coast beautiful for everyone. You can make a difference by joining a scheduled cleanup with one of our partner organizations or simply bringing a bag and making it part of your beach walk.

Partner Opportunities:

• SOLVE – Bring Oregonians together to improve our environment and build a legacy of stewardship; clean up litter, remove invasive species, and plant native trees.
• Oregon Shores – Participate in beach clean-ups and habitat restoration.
• The City of Seaside/ Coffee for Clean beaches – Remove beach debris and keep the beach clean; earn rewards to redeem at local coffee shops.
• Surfrider Foundation – Protect the world’s ocean, waves and beaches, for all people, through  network of activists, local chapters, and clubs.

Our coastal trails are the backbone of outdoor recreation on the Oregon Coast. But with more visitors comes more wear and tear. Help keep these trails in top shape by volunteering for a few hours—or go all in with an overnight stewardship trip into the woods and make new friends while working on trails!

Partner Opportunities:

• Trailkeepers of Oregon (TKO) – Protect and enhance the Oregon hiking experience through trail maintenance and advocacy – trail-building and maintenance opportunities for all skill levels.

Healthy ecosystems keep the Oregon Coast thriving, and volunteers play a big role in restoring wetlands, dunes, and forests. Whether you’re removing invasive species, planting native plants, or working on estuary restoration, your efforts directly support wildlife and coastal resilience. 

Partner Opportunities:

• • Tillamook Estuaries Partnership – Conserve and restore Tillamook County’s estuaries and watersheds through restoration, monitoring, education and outreach.
  • North Coast Land Conservancy –  Conserve and connect the landscape of the Oregon Coast from the Columbia River to North Lincoln County through stewardship, site monitoring and educational events.
  • Lower Nehalem Community Trust – Conserve and restore natural lands and diverse habitats in the Nehalem region.
  • MidCoast Watersheds Council – Participate in restoration and native plant work parties.
  • Oregon Bay Area Beautification – Make and keep the Oregon Bay area beautiful.
  • Curry Watershed Partnership – Help local landowners and communities keep our shared lands and rivers healthy and sustainable.

Want to turn your visit into a mini research mission? Citizen science and wildlife monitoring projects let you contribute to real research and conservation efforts. From documenting king tides and surveying seabirds to tracking marine mammals and monitoring sensitive species like the snowy plover, your observations help scientists and land managers protect the Oregon Coast for generations to come. 

Partner Opportunities:

• Oregon King Tides Project – Submit photos and contribute to coastal research.
• Oregon Shores – Collect valuable information for scientific research that leads to real change.
• Oregon Black Oystercatcher Project – Help monitor for new information on this species biology including an Oregon-wide population estimate, nesting success, and human disturbance factors.
• Beached Bird Survey – Once a month, HRAP partners with COASST to survey a stretch of Cannon Beach for beached seabirds. This is the perfect volunteer opportunity for people who want hands-on experience collecting a variety of data types in an active environment.
• CoastWatch – Engage Oregonians in stewardship of their shoreline.
• Netarts Bay WEBS – Build a community of environmental stewards around the Netarts Bay watershed and the areas between Cape Meares and Cape Lookout.
• Snowy Plover Patrol – Help track where plovers are and how they are doing on the North Coast.
• Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network – Help locate and educate on marine wildlife strandings.
• Sea Turtles Forever – Conserve marine turtles and protect their nesting and foraging habitats; remove marine microplastic debris.

Love connecting with people and sharing your passion for the outdoors? Volunteer ambassador and interpreter roles are a great way to welcome others to the coast while promoting responsible recreation. Whether you’re guiding visitors through a tidepool or pointing out passing whales, you’ll help create meaningful experiences that inspire stewardship.

Partner Opportunities

• TKO Trail ambassadors – Give back to the trails you love by engaging with visitors around hiking safety, Leave No Trace, local flora and fauna, responsible use of public lands, and more.
• Yakona Nature Preserve Docent Program – Help with educational programs, public access, and habitat management.
• Whale Watch Week – Through the Oregon Whale Watch program, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) places trained volunteers at overlooks along the Oregon coast to assist visitors in spotting gray whales during their two major annual migrations in the winter and spring.
• Tidepool Ambassadors – Educate visitors about tidepool science and safety at Cape Falcon Marine Reserve and Oswald West State Parks Short Sands Beach.
• Tidepool Ambassadors – Educate visitors about tidepool science and safety at Otter Rock Marine Reserve.
• Haystack Rock Awareness Program – Protect intertidal and bird life of the Marine Garden and National Wildlife Refuge at Haystack Rock Cannon Beach.
• Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses – Volunteer in the Interpretive Store at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, at the Yaquina Head Interpretive Center Front Desk, and as natural resource interpreters throughout the park.

Volunteering your time is a great way to get to know and deepen relationships with Oregon’s coastal Indigenous Tribes. For example, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Community Health Clinic has started a Garden Program to provide healthy food options and cultural opportunities for Tribal members. Volunteer days are held on the 4th Friday of every month, and all are invited to join. 

Learn more about getting involved with Tribes here.