About Us

SHORELINE EDUCATION FOR AWARENESS CELEBRATES 32 YEARS OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

SEA (Shoreline Education Awareness) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting education and awareness of shoreline habitats and the wildlife found on the southern Oregon Coast. SEA offers presentations to visitors, schools, and civic groups to fulfill our primary mission of education. SEA invites you to join our efforts by becoming a member or by making a monetary donation.

SEA volunteers contribute thousands of hours each summer educating visitors on coastal flora and fauna. We also remind visitors of the threats this ecosystem faces– from rising ocean temperatures and pollution, to human intrusion on the breeding grounds of birds, mammals, and invertebrates. The rocks and islands that make up the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge are beautiful to behold and magical to walk through.

SEA volunteers address human interaction with shoreline animals to insure that our children and grandchildren have the same opportunity that we have, to be thrilled by the nature of our coastal wonderland.

Mission Statement: Shoreline Education for Awareness (SEA) contributes to the conservation efforts of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. SEA is a nonprofit Friends organization providing interpretation and environmental education about the marine environment on the southern Oregon coast.

History: SEA, Inc. was founded in Bandon OR, in 1990, by Bill and Joan Russell, and Owen and Sara Duvall. The all-volunteer non-profit organization has grown in influence and support, reaching between 15,000 to 20,000 visitors annually.

Locations: SEA has an office in the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters and provides spotting scopes at Simpson Reef near Charleston, and at Coquille Point or Face Rock in Bandon.

Financial Support: SEA, Inc. is an all-volunteer non-profit organization, supported by membership dues and donations from visitors and interested members of the public. Grants are also an important source of support and have been received from the Coquille Indian Tribe, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Wild Rivers Coast Alliance, and Audubon California.

Affiliations: SEA, Inc. has been adopted as the Friends of Southern Oregon Coastal Refuges by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. SEA also collaborates with many environmental organizations. Among these are: the Elakha Alliance, a group of individuals and organizations dedicated to restoration of the near-shore ecosystem by restoring the natural population of sea otters; the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology has been a mainstay in support of SEA since its inception; the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department; the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition; the Charleston Marine Life Center; the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve; and Audubon California.

Incorporation: Shoreline Education for Awareness, Inc. is an Oregon 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation. A volunteer Board of Directors and Officers manage the corporation under established bylaws.