Co-Science Opportunities

Co-Science, previously referred to as citizen science, offers community members a means to gather and analyze data pertaining to projects aligned with their personal interests or community needs. There are numerous and regular efforts occurring along the North Coast of Oregon. This could involve activities such as observing nesting locations of cormorants at Cape Falcon or assisting our program in conducting our monthly Sea Star Wasting Syndrome Survey.

Below are some Co-Science projects we’re involved with:

Brown Pelican Survey

Partnering with Portland Audubon, HRAP conducts a brown pelican survey at Haystack Rock twice per year, in the spring and fall. 

Brown pelicans were removed from the Endangered Species Act in 2009, but this does not mean that this bird is free from threats. A series of nest failures that occurred on the West Coast between 2008 and 2014 highlighted the need to monitor the health of the brown pelican population. Portland Audubon has collaborated with Audubon California, Audubon Washington, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Conservación de Islas to organize a brown pelican count at survey sites all along the West Coast from Baja California to the United States and Canadian border. 

As an indicator species, brown pelican data can help the scientific community understand the current state of the brown pelican population, and provide clues to the stability of surrounding forage fish populations. Research on seabirds, like the brown pelican, is a tool that can be used to look at ocean ecosystems, and what issues might exist within those ecological communities. 

Learn more: https://audubonportland.org/get-involved/community-science/brown-pelican/

Black Oystercatcher Survey

HRAP’s oystercatcher surveys are an ongoing nest monitoring project that involves spending time in Haystack’s intertidal zone, observing this charismatic bird’s behavior, and taking note of any disturbances they face during nest building, incubation, or raising chicks. Data that is collected is reported back to Portland Audubon at the end of the breeding season and compared to 74 other oystercatcher monitoring sites along the Oregon Coast.   

The black oystercatcher is a species of high conservation concern in Oregon. Black oystercatchers are shorebirds that nest just above the high tide line, and forage in the intertidal for mollusks, such as limpets and snails. They are well-liked among the birder community for their big personalities and shrill calls. However, the combination of territorial behavior and their choice of nest location often leads to issues while attempting to raise chicks. Oystercatchers are easily disturbed by people, predators, and other oystercatchers, and consequently have a relatively low reproductive rate.

Haystack Rock has had a pair of Oystercatchers nest in the saddle on the East side of the rock every summer, but in the past 3 years, only 1 chick has successfully become a fledging. By conducting nest monitoring, the scientific community can gain a better understanding of black oystercatcher reproduction and the factors that might be leading to nest failure. As a species that relies on the intertidal zone as a food source, black oystercatcher data could also be used to indicate the health of intertidal ecosystems.  

Learn more: https://audubonportland.org/get-involved/community-science/black-oystercatcher/

Seabird Colony Survey

Haystack Rock is one of several seabird colony reference areas along the Oregon Coast. Portland Audubon is in the process of collecting data on the size and health of seabird populations in Oregon’s protected Marine Reserves. 

This project involves monitoring Haystack’s cormorant nests once a week during the breeding season from June to September. Volunteers partnered with an HRAP employee, will select a plot of nests to observe and assess as the cormorants incubate their eggs and rear their chicks. Participating in the project will give volunteers the opportunity to work with spotting scopes, learn how to identify different species of seabirds, and watch young birds grow. 

Learn more: https://audubonportland.org/get-involved/community-science/seabird-colony-monitoring/

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.   

Deceased seabirds commonly wash ashore on beaches in the Pacific Northwest. The quantities and species of birds can vary from season to season. Conducting monthly surveys at locations along the Oregon and Washington coast COASST has created a database of information about beached birds commonly found. This growing database can be used to establish a baseline for what death rates are standard in a specific area or time of year. In the event of a mass die-off, baseline data could provide insight into the scale of the die-off event. Factors such as climate change, pollution, and the fluctuation of forage fish populations could have an influence on the death rate of seabirds. Providing beached seabird data to the surrounding scientific community could help conservation efforts for seabird species and the greater ocean ecosystem.  

Learn more: https://coasst.org/toolbox/beached-birds/

Sea Star Survey

Sea Star Wasting Syndrome (SSWS) first entered the sea star population on the West Coast of the United States about 10 years ago and caused a mass die-off in 2013. The disease causes sea stars of more than 20 species to develop lesions that slowly grow and can eventually lead to the loss of limbs and death. 

Haystack Rock’s ochre sea stars, which once covered every rock in the intertidal zone, died in such high numbers that they became difficult to find. This sudden and devastating epidemic baffled the scientific community, and to this day there is no consensus on what caused the infection. Research initially hypothesized the cause of SSWS to be a type of Densovirus, but more recent studies have pointed toward a bacterial infection theory. Ongoing research is exploring connections between environmental factors such as water temperature and ocean acidity that could have contributed to the disease.    

HRAP staff members monitor plots at Haystack Rock every month collecting information about the number of sea stars present, and the size and health of the individual stars. To learn more about Sea Star Wasting Syndrome, or to get involved with data collection visit the Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe) website.   

Learn more: https://marine.ucsc.edu/data-products/sea-star-wasting/