The Ocean Foundation

This Project of the Oregon Kelp Alliance (ORKA) Will Involve a Wide-ranging Coastal Snapshot of Oregon's Kelp Forest Habitats to Inform Management, Conservation, and Restoration Activities. These Important Habitats Have Not Been Aerially Surveyed Since 2011, and Many Have Undergone Signi Cant Changes in Recent Years Due to Warming Oceans, Loss of Predators, and Population Booms of Purple Sea Urchins, Which Graze on Kelp. No Coast-wide Subtidal Survey of Oregon's Kelp Forests Has Ever Been Completed. the Recent Widespread Loss of Kelp Forests in Northern California Has Drawn Attention to This Problem in Oregon and This Project Intends to Address This Need. Several Members and Partners of the Oregon Kelp Alliance Are Currently Engaged in Essential Management, Conservation, and Restoration Efforts That Will Be Informed by These Data. We Will Use a Multifaceted Approach to Gather These Data, Including Both Aerial Surveys Using Aerial Drones, Underwater Scuba Surveys of Kelp Forests, and Ro