Cape Falcon Marine Reserve Program

The rocky shores of the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve provide habitat for a wide variety of shorebirds and seabirds, including brown pelicans, black oystercatchers, and pigeon guillemots.

Located in the ocean between Manzanita and Cannon Beach, the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve site is a 20-square-mile area dedicated to conservation and scientific research. Photo by Nadia Gardner

The tide pools at Cape Falcon Marine Reserve are full of marine wildlife.

NCLC adopts Cape Falcon Marine Reserve Program

Seeking to expand land-to-sea connectivity along the northern Oregon Coast, North Coast Land Conservancy adopted the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve program, formerly run by a “Friends of” group, in February 2022. The program serves the critical function of educating on and advocating for the abundant values the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve site has to offer the state of Oregon.

The marine reserve is located on the Oregon North Coast, just off Oswald West State Park and NCLC’s adjacent Rainforest Reserve, between the towns of Cannon Beach and Manzanita. The 20-square-mile site encompasses the marine reserve, as well as two marine protected areas.

Cape Falcon is the northernmost site within Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Marine Reserve Program. It was established in 2016 for conservation and scientific research. The ODFW Marine Reserves Program uses a variety of research tools to monitor marine reserves and learn about Oregon’s ocean, tailoring which tools they use at the Cape Falcon site to its unique characteristics. Read More