USA
What’s New in Oregon
Sustainable seafood makes waves
One of the draws of the Oregon Coast is the bounty of delicious seafood. Visitors can join marine biologist Alanna Kieffer of Shifting Tides for her popular workshops ranging from foraging for wild mussels to tours of Oregon Seaweed, where she farms Pacific dulse and educates the public about regenerative aquaculture. In February, “seafood-ies” flock to Winter Waters on the Oregon Coast, a culinary series that spotlights the state’s seafood and sea vegetables, including wakame, kombu, sea lettuce, and dulse, with a variety of prix-fixe dinners, pop-ups, cooking classes and workshops. Oregon’s Best Catch and Where to Buy Oregon Seafood provide visitors with guides that detail what seafood is local to Oregon, when it’s in season and a map of retailers, so they can continue to sample Oregon’s seafood throughout their stay or to take home.
Dark skies reach high five
Home to the Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary, the largest in the world, Oregon has recently added new dark sky accreditations for a total of five throughout the state. With a population of less than 50, the rural town of Antelope has become Oregon’s first International Dark Sky Community and the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve is now an International Dark Sky Park, the second in the state, both certifications awarded by DarkSky International. The designation for the Oregon Caves has come after a multi-year effort by the National Park Service to improve natural darkness and reduce light pollution in the 4,554-acre (1,843-hectare) system of marble caves and formations beneath the Siskiyou Mountains. Protected within the monument are old growth forests, subalpine meadows, glacial cirques and alpine rock gardens offering visitors a unique blend of natural and celestial experiences highlighting conservation. Prineville Reservoir International Dark Sky Park and Sunriver International Development of Distinction are the other accredited dark sky places in the state.
