Creating a Rainforest Reserve

Complex Diversity in the Rainforest Reserve

What may look like an ordinary coastal forest is actually quite extraordinary. Within this evergreen realm thrives a complex community of plants and animals—from dragonflies to elk and eagles. Some of the plant and animal species found in the Rainforest Reserve live nowhere else on the planet.

Relics of an ancient volcanic event, these peaks—islands in the sky—were once isolated by an oceanic moat. That isolation gave rise to a unique landscape of incredible diversity, not unlike the famed Galapagos Islands. An effort is now underway to restore the wild roots of the Rainforest Reserve.

This Unique Place We Call Home

The mountain range that rose out of the Pacific Ocean millions of years ago has become a familiar backdrop to the coastal communities clustered at its feet. Standing between Cannon Beach and Manzanita along Oregon’s North Coast, this beloved basaltic ridgeline is well known to generations of residents and visitors alike. It figures in the stories of indigenous people, in seafaring captains’ logs, in works of art, and in countless photographs. The next time you catch a glimpse of Haystack Rock punctuating the shoreline, look up to the east and behold the future Rainforest Reserve.

Our Anchor to Livability

From the air we breathe to the water we drink, humans’ survival is bound to the well-being of our surroundings. Expanded recreation opportunities keep us mentally and physically healthy. A robust environment helps our regional economy thrive. By storing carbon, healthy forests can temper the effects of climate change in the next century and beyond.

Forests make rain year-round; up to half the surface water on the coast starts as fog condensing on tree needles. Creekside forests keep sediment out of streams. Conserving the forests where headwater streams arise for Cannon Beach and Arch Cape will keep drinking water flowing and keep it clean, saving money on water treatment.

A Vision Spanning Many Tomorrows

Oregon has a long tradition of conserving important natural landscapes for public benefit. Our beaches are open to the public thanks to the vision of two remarkable Oregon governors. Our coastal headlands are enjoyed by all thanks to a century of preservation by Oregon State Parks.

It was Oregon’s first state parks superintendent, Samuel H. Boardman, who first set forth a bold vision of a vast conservation corridor above Oswald West State Park. The Rainforest Reserve is our best opportunity to see this vision through to fruition.

Reconnecting Land and People

Wildlife doesn’t recognize boundaries. Animals need room to roam, migrate, and forage. Habitat that is uninterrupted from summit to sea enhances survival of all species and helps them adapt to a changing world.

People also thrive when we are connected to place. Our relationships with each other and the environment make us whole and healthy. The Rainforest Reserve will create a vast conservation corridor joining summit and sea—linking the nearshore ocean of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve and shoreline of Oswald West State Park to the summits and headwaters above. This will help ensure all of us thrive—people, plants, and wildlife.