GPS Coordinates: 44.6212655, -124.1199368
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REGIONS > OREGON COAST > CENTRAL OREGON COAST
> LINCOLN CITY AND VICINITY This wide sloping headland is flanked by the Salmon River on the south and is a haven for rare coastal meadows and the animals who call them home, including the threatened Oregon silverspot butterfly. Starting in the mid-1960s, volunteers began to work to preserve the head and all its ecosystems. Much of the area is now a preserve administered by the Nature Conservancy, while other parts of the 270-acres are a UNESCO biosphere reserve and an experimental forest. The Knight County Park lies at the base of the head and provides easy access to the Salmon River and the adjacent estuary and beaches. On the south side of the river lies the camp facilities of the Westwind Stewardship Group, a non-profit organization that provides kids with outdoor experiences. |
A Tale of Ruin and Renewal:
Once choked by dikes and trampled by cattle, Cascade Head and the adjacent Salmon River estuary are marvels of how human beings can damage, but can also repair, an entire ecosystem.
Through the 1960s, the broad coastal meadows of the head were prime grazing land for beef cattle. In fact, if you wander the hiking trails which stretch across the promontory today, you can still catch glimpses of weathered fenceposts which once partitioned the land and kept the cattle corralled. At the south base of the head is the slow flowing Salmon River and estuary. Again, look carefully and you will still see signs of human intrusion. Stands of dead trees, now little more than branchless gray posts, rise out of the wetlands. Decades ago, dikes blocked the natural flow of the river, causing the waters to flood the adjoining land and drown these trees. The dikes were removed as part of the area’s restoration project, but the dead trees remain as silent reminders of what once was. |
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A Haven for Seals and Butterflies:
What do harbor seals and silverspot butterflies have in common? At first glance, very little. But spend some time on Cascade Head and you’ll notice something amazing. Both of these species, despite their obvious differences, use the head as a nursery for their young.
The west slopes of the head are covered with expansive coastal meadows, also known as coastal prairie. During several months of the year, many of the nature trails are closed down to protect the butterfly during its reproductive cycle when its pupa, hidden among the low-lying meadow plants, begin their transformation into butterflies. The new insects flutter across the meadows, feeding on the early blue violet and various flowering plants, pollinating as they go.
Far below, in the tranquil coves of the Salmon River, the harbor seals are pupping. With the rising tide, they float upriver to tend to their young, avoiding the obvious hazards of the coastal waters until the pups are old enough to go it alone. They poke their heads out of the water to watch the hikers along the riverbanks or the kayakers as they paddle quietly by.
For many species, both marine and terrestrial, the head and the river fulfill the same basic needs for food and shelter.
RELATED FEATURES: Catastrophe! June 26, 1700 | The Lost Promise of Pixieland
Far below, in the tranquil coves of the Salmon River, the harbor seals are pupping. With the rising tide, they float upriver to tend to their young, avoiding the obvious hazards of the coastal waters until the pups are old enough to go it alone. They poke their heads out of the water to watch the hikers along the riverbanks or the kayakers as they paddle quietly by.
For many species, both marine and terrestrial, the head and the river fulfill the same basic needs for food and shelter.
RELATED FEATURES: Catastrophe! June 26, 1700 | The Lost Promise of Pixieland