Does Oregon Really Have 100% Public Beaches? (Cove: 2015, homes, litigation)

[AnythingOutdoors]

https://www.surfrider.org/news/agree...ghthouse-beach

The Surfrider Foundation is pleased to announce that we have entered into a preliminary agreement that will restore access to Lighthouse Beach in Coos Bay, Oregon. After seeking to restore access outside of court, Surfrider, on behalf of the Coos Bay Chapter, filed a lawsuit for a public prescriptive easement on June 6, 2022. Trial had been scheduled to begin April 25, 2023 at the Coos County Circuit Court in Coquille. However, a conceptual agreement has now been reached.

[AnythingOutdoors]

I should add, this isn't unique to Oregon. California has similar laws about public beaches, along with property owners trying to restrict access. Wealthy ocean-front owners love the beach, but they really dislike the icky unwashed massed that the beach attracts. So they try very hard to keep people away. For example, in the Santa Cruz area: Privates Beach, and also the Geoffory Dr access to Blacks Beach.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

It is because I didn't realize that you were talking about access to Lighthouse Beach. You said, "So the question is, how can you have a lighthouse on a public beach, that the public can't even see, let alone get to?" I thought you were talking about access to the insanely small beach off the island, based on the photo you shared and your comments about wanting to get to it.

There is a preliminary agreement to establish access to Lighthouse Beach. So you need to wait. Then you can see the lighthouse from Lighthouse Beach if that is what you want.

Sorry I wasn't more clear. Thanks for the link to that agreement.

I'm happy the surfers got what they wanted, but I don't think that agreement goes anywhere near far enough. I'm not sure what a narrow trail with no trailhead parking is going to accomplish. Other then at least people have some option for accessing the beach.

I would like to see the state restore the public road, parking lots, view point, as well as the trail. If this is a state of public beaches, then public access should be a part of it.

Anyway this is just one small step. As someone else pointed out there is a similar situation down at Whale Cove. This is a problem all up and down the coast. Not just at one place.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

You can't do that here, but you can force an easement. That is what happened with Lighthouse Beach. A group of people initiated a lawsuit to force an easement.

The situation with the lighthouse was more than that. Apparently the public right of way was vacated and given to the neighboring property owner, without anybody even knowing about it. But people continued to use it as a public easement for an extended period of time until the property owner suddenly decided to block it off with barbed wire. You can't just block off a public easement like that. He had no legal standing to do that. But without the lawsuit by the surfers, he would have probably gotten away with it.

This whole lighthouse situation was a tragedy the way it was handled. This land was a valuable cultural resource that was enjoyed by locals and visitors alike for well over 100 years. Then it was just stolen away from them in a big land grab. A lot of people here are not happy about the way it was handled.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by AnythingOutdoors

I should add, this isn't unique to Oregon. California has similar laws about public beaches, along with property owners trying to restrict access. Wealthy ocean-front owners love the beach, but they really dislike the icky unwashed massed that the beach attracts. So they try very hard to keep people away. For example, in the Santa Cruz area: Privates Beach, and also the Geoffory Dr access to Blacks Beach.

The big difference is that in that case, people just have to walk an extra five or six blocks to get to the beach. In the case of Lighthouse Beach, they have to walk over a mile to State Park land and then take a sketchy trail over rocks to get to the beach.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

You are asking a lot of questions. Why don't you do some research? I will answer one. From Florence to Astoria there are 97 beach access points. That's about one every 2 miles. Which is about the average for the entire Oregon Coast. Does one access point every 2 miles sound adequate to you?

You didn't answer my other question which was how many miles of coastline and beach from Florence to Astoria are public. Answer, all of them.

Compare that to the coastline of Washington from Olympia to Bellingham and the answer is less than 1% of shoreline is public. The rest of the coastline along that most populated stretch of Puget Sound is entirely private. Access or no access it doesn't matter. Shoreline property owner's property lines extend down to the low tide line so public coastline and beach does not exist in Washington unless it is an actual city park or state park.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

You didn't answer my other question which was how many miles of coastline and beach from Florence to Astoria are public. Answer, all of them.

Compare that to the coastline of Washington from Olympia to Bellingham and the answer is less than 1% of shoreline is public. The rest of the coastline along that most populated stretch of Puget Sound is entirely private. Access or no access it doesn't matter. Shoreline property owner's property lines extend down to the low tide line so public coastline and beach does not exist in Washington unless it is an actual city park or state park.

I don't know the answer. There should be about 198 access points on the Oregon Coast. That's about one every 1.5 miles. I'm sure the Washington Coast has more per mile. But they are not compatible. Because most of the Washington Coast is undeveloped land and has no roads. The Oregon Coast is 100% developed.

You keep bringing up Puget Sound, which is a completely different subject. I was talking about ocean beaches. Regardless I did look at Washington State Department of Ecology website map for beach access in Puget Sound. The numbers are astonishing. Way too many to count. But my wild ass guess would be that there are 5,000, maybe even 10,000 public access points in Puget Sound.

[Andrew in Minnesota]

Originally Posted by Parnassia

Technically, if you started walking the shoreline at OR's southern border seaward of the line of existing vegetation, you could remain on public beach until you reached its northern border. You could technically reach that same public beach seaward of the line of existing vegetation by approaching it from the water by landing a boat.

This is exactly correct.

Similarly, if the only access to a summit via public land is a 5.11 arête, it's still entirely open to the public. But that doesn't mean it's convenient for all members of the public. In fact, in that case summit access would be decidedly inconvenient for all but a very tiny percentage of people.

But it's still public access.

[StealthRabbit]

Does Oregon Really Have 100% Public Beaches?

Yes ...
Low tide
Or...
Access via boat.
Adaptive Kayaking Offers Freedom for People with Disabilities
https://aquabound.com/blogs/resource...h-disabilities

The original Highway 101 (stage coach days) used the Oregon beach at low tide, and Shipwrecks as Stage stations (so Park Ranger Bob explained )

[AnythingOutdoors]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

The big difference is that in that case, people just have to walk an extra five or six blocks to get to the beach. In the case of Lighthouse Beach, they have to walk over a mile to State Park land and then take a sketchy trail over rocks to get to the beach.

With Privates Beach in Santa Cruz there's no other access, cliffs and private property on both sides. Which is why homeowners fought so hard to keep it de facto private (hence the name).

Apparently you didn't read the link I provided about Lighthouse Beach. Property owners are in the process of donating land to provide access to the beach. These things take time, so just be patient, it'll happen.