OREGON COAST Oregon beachgoers have unfettered access to the states 362 miles of coastline thanks to a landmark piece of legislation signed in 1967.

Fifty years ago today, Gov. Tom McCall signed the Oregon Beach Bill.

The bill established public ownership along Oregons coastline, from the water up to 16 feet above the low tide mark.

The anniversary of the legislation has caused some to reflect on the importance of the areas beaches.

Fawn Custer, volunteer coordinator for Oregon Shores Conservation Coalitions CoastWatch program, said public access to the beach is a novel situation thats unique to Oregon. As such, she said its important to be diligent about protecting Oregons access to its beaches.

We want our beaches to be for the public, for us and not for some private entity that just happens to have a little bit more money, Custer said, Its up to us to say no, you know what, we like having our public beaches.

She said the purpose of the CoastWatch program is to have people keep an eye on the beach and document changes.

The plus of all of that is the fact that as conservation groups were able to be on the forefront of maintaining that beach bill, Custer said.

The volunteer coordinator grew up on the East Coast where many beaches have privately-owned sections.

Youre on the beach and all of the sudden you come onto a fence, Custer said, Youre not able to walk the whole beach.

Marty Giles with Wavecrest Discoveries had a similar story.

She remembered visiting North Carolina and having to drive for miles along the road to find a spot that had public access.

I could smell the ocean, hear it, but couldnt access it because it was privately owned, Giles said.

In Oregon, she said residents have the ability to drive toward the ocean and access whatever beach they end up at. Giles said its not that way everywhere.

You talk to people from other areas and they dont have the same sense of you just go west and find a beach, she said.

Giles said you can judge the importance of public access to the beach in two different realms.

The first is the business realm.

We live in a place where those natural resources are so readily available and theyre a key part of tourism, Giles said, All our businesses in the region benefit from the tourism industry.

The second realm is personal benefit.

She said people visit the Oregon Coast to come to the beach, but theres also a direct benefit that all Oregonians enjoy.

Access to natural resources is a benefit to our quality of life, Giles said.

She said thats one of the things that draws and keeps people in the area.

Its certainly that way for Giles.

My best appreciation is that boundary between land and sea and to witness the inherent processes that are within that boundary, she said.

Giles like to visit Sunset Bay State Park to enjoy some of the beauty the coast has the offer. For her, the Beach Bill anniversary is a reminder to appreciate that beauty.

The point of the fifty years is giving us an opportunity to remind ourselves of really remarkable resources that we need to appreciate fully, use responsibly and need to defend, Giles said.

Read more:

50th anniversary of Oregon Beach Bill - Coos Bay World