Volunteer on beaches or trails to help preserve Oregon’s coasts for generations to come.
Oregon’s 363-mile stretch of coastline is more than just a stunning place to visit — it’s also protected by the 1967 Oregon Beach Bill, which ensures free and public beach access for all.
Public beach access means that protection is the responsibility of all of us. Give back and help keep the majestic beaches, forests and marine ecosystems clean on the People’s Coast by spending a few hours volunteering on your next vacation. Joining a beach cleanup or removing logs from old-growth hiking trails are two great ways to meet residents and make an impact that will be paid forward for generations. Here are even more fun and rewarding opportunities for you to make a difference on the Oregon Coast.
Show the Beaches Some Love
You don’t have to be a surfer to volunteer for the annual Surfrider Otter Rock and Roll Youth Surf Contest and Beach Cleanup Challenge held near Newport. On June 21, 2025, the Newport Surfrider chapter will hold its 15th annual event to celebrate surfing and raise awareness of the issues facing our oceans and beaches. The surf contest, online auction benefiting local programs and community beach cleanup kick off at Otter Rock Beach in the morning. Take the entire family to watch the surfers. On the way to your spot on the beach, grab garbage bags (provided at the event) and spend some time removing refuse from the beach. There are even cool prizes for most trash collected.
In addition, the nonprofit SOLVE — which stands for Sustaining Oregon’s Legacy by Volunteering — hosts beach cleanups up and down the Coast throughout the year. SOLVE volunteers typically collect over 50 tons of litter and ocean debris from Oregon’s beaches each year. If you’re planning to visit Seaside, sign up for the Treasure the Beach cleanup regularly held in town on the first Saturday of every month.
For other places on the Coast, volunteer for one of SOLVE’s many fall and spring beach and riverside cleanups. In May the Willamette Valley Wheelers Club co-hosts a beach cleanup at Siltcoos Beach in Florence. Beyond the cleanup itself, the day is a great chance to connect with fellow off-road enthusiasts. Fall visitors can also join Lincoln City’s Chinook Winds Casino Resort Fall Beach Cleanup in September, and help clean up the beach after the busy summer season. Find out more about these events and how to get supplies, plus free training to become an event leader in this guide.
Dig In and Protect Native Plants and Forests
Have a green thumb? Volunteer with the North Coast Land Conservancy and help maintain hiking trails on regular Stewardship Days, weed and prune shrubs during Tidy Wild Tuesdays, or plant native species during Weed Warrior Wednesdays. Also on the North Coast, Lower Nehalem Community Trust hosts Stewardship Mornings on their conservation properties along with other volunteer opportunities.
The MidCoast Watersheds Council holds volunteer-powered restoration work parties throughout the year, removing invasive species during spring and summer and planting native species in the rainy months, generally October through February. You can also volunteer at the council’s native-plant nursery, sowing seeds and cultivating cuttings.
Trailkeepers of Oregon also hosts stewardship events and trail parties on the Coast that welcome volunteers. You might find yourself clearing branches and improving beach access near Tillamook or meeting new friends while fixing trail tread during a three-night Chimney Camp Stewardship Campout on the South Coast. Visit the websites to learn more about what to bring and where to stay.
Be a Friend of Marine Creatures From Seabirds to Whales
May through August, bird lovers can volunteer for the Oregon Black Oystercatcher Project and help scientists monitor tiny orange-beaked black oystercatchers — a shorebird species of high conservation concern — up and down the Coast. Register through Bird Alliance of Oregon and pack your spotting scope to observe nest activity and record data.
Visit Bandon’s famous marine-animal sculptures made of consumer waste at Washed Ashore, as well as a new arts center and gift shop founded by the same folks called Art 101. Here you’ll witness the impact of Oregon’s volunteer beach cleanups firsthand at these nonprofit art spaces as you marvel at giant birds and fish made from collected marine debris and plastics, see the process, and learn about the impact of plastics and more. Join a volunteer workshop in Coos Bay on Saturdays and help create new sculptures, or visit the website for ways to volunteer on-site.
In late March and December, visitors flock to see the Coast’s most famous — and biggest — travelers during Oregon Whale Watch Week. For those wishing to get more involved, sign up on the website for volunteer training so you can help at one of the sites. Volunteers with the Oregon Whale Watch program gather on The Whale Trail at Cape Perpetua, at the Depoe Bay Whale Watching Center, and at many other Coast locations to document the migration of gray whales and help people spot and better understand these magical marine mammals.
– By Michelle Kehm
Top photo: Seaside cleanup by Don Frank