Oregon Kelp Alliance

Oregon Kelp Alliance The Oregon Kelp Alliance (ORKA) works in support of healthy kelp forests.

06/10/2026

Last week we showed you how our new mariculture Buoys are being made from Port Orford Cedar. Today, here's a glimpse into how we do the initial tests. Buoys get soaked in saltwater for a few weeks to make sure they'll withstand the prolonged seawater exposure. Good news, things are floating along nicely and we'll be putting these to use soon!

This work funded by Builders Vision

06/05/2026

Today is international seaweed day and we've been waiting for this day to share exciting news... on a recent dive in Nellies Cove several patches of wild baby kelp was found!!!

We've already sent our urchin divers down there to make sure our spikey friends aren't eating these little kelplings up and we're monitoring the situation closely to give these kelplings a fighting chance to survive to adulthood.

These patches showed up after more than 6 years of intensive SCUBA monitoring where we never found wild kelps in Nellie's Cove. Was this year's comeback due to the urchin culling, kelp restoration platforms or sunflower sea star release we did last fall? We like to think so but we're still swimming around down there monitoring and measuring to confirm that.

This work is funded by the NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation ( )

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05/29/2026

We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again. We’re so very thankful for all the people that step up to help us with our mission of growing kelp here in Oregon. Like local wood worker Mark Lankton seen here milling all our mariculture buoys from local Port Orford cedar. THANK YOU MARK!!

This work funded by Builders Vision

Sometimes innovation means going back to the drawing board, and that's exactly what we did. Meet our updated buoys, loca...
05/28/2026

Sometimes innovation means going back to the drawing board, and that's exactly what we did. Meet our updated buoys, locally crafted from Port Orford cedar and purpose-built as surface markers for our Oregon Restorative Kelp Mariculture project.

This summer, they'll be deployed in the waters near Port Orford, marking our vertical kelp farming moorings. Follow along as we share the progress.

This work is funded by Builders Vision.

Why Copper? Urchins hate copper and will stay away at all costs, even when there's kelp growing meters above. We use a c...
05/19/2026

Why Copper?

Urchins hate copper and will stay away at all costs, even when there's kelp growing meters above. We use a couple small segments of copper to keep urchins off our KRP's, giving the baby bull kelp the fighting chance they deserve.

This work is funded by the NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation ( )

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Want to know more about our KRP's? Jump on over to our Substack for a breakdown of the different pieces that make up a K...
05/17/2026

Want to know more about our KRP's? Jump on over to our Substack for a breakdown of the different pieces that make up a KRP.

Link in Bio

This work is funded by the NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation ( )

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Most harbors have the luxury of calm, protected waters. Port Orford? We do things differently.As the only open-water dol...
05/15/2026

Most harbors have the luxury of calm, protected waters. Port Orford? We do things differently.

As the only open-water dolly dock on the West Coast, there's no sheltered bay to ease into. Instead, commercial fishing boats and vessels get the VIP treatment: lifted by massive cranes and gently lowered into the Pacific Ocean daily.

It's a process that never gets old. That moment of suspension between land and sea? Pure magic.

Partnering with local legend Captain Dave Lacey of aboard the Black Pearl, we get to experience this incredible operation firsthand. Every departure is a spectacle, every return is a triumph.

This is Port Orford, where even leaving the dock is an adventure.

This work is funded by the NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation ( )

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Curious about how captive breeding sunflower sea stars work? Wondering how ORKA is involved? Jump over to our Substack a...
05/14/2026

Curious about how captive breeding sunflower sea stars work? Wondering how ORKA is involved? Jump over to our Substack as our own Dr Sara Hamilton updates us on this fascinating topic.

Link in Bio.

This work is funded by the NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation ( )

Did you know ? We hand-tie whipping on the end of all of our Manilla rope, which keeps the rope end from fraying and mak...
05/07/2026

Did you know ?

We hand-tie whipping on the end of all of our Manilla rope, which keeps the rope end from fraying and makes it a lot easier to work with. Any guesses to how many feet of whipping are tied to each KRP (Kelp Restoration Platform) ?

Built with:
✓ Natural lumber
✓ Manila rope
✓ Stainless steel hardware

This work is funded by the NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation ( )

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The second webinar in our "Restoring Our Kelp Forests" series is coming up TOMORROW! Miles Rough will take you for a dee...
05/06/2026

The second webinar in our "Restoring Our Kelp Forests" series is coming up TOMORROW! Miles Rough will take you for a deep dive in his talk "Life in the Kelp: Predators, Prey, and Ecosystem Balance" all about the importance of sunflower sea stars and their decline.

📅 TOMORROW May 7
🕥 6-7:30 p.m.

REGISTER NOW at sevencapes.org/restoringourkelpforests 🌊 🏃

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Port Orford, OR
97465

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+15413668512

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