Oregon Kelp Alliance

Big Blue Film Fest
2026-01-24 10:00 - 12:30 UTC | Hatfield Marine Science Center, 2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR, 97265, United States
The beautiful film, Sequoias of the Sea is showing at the Big Blue Film fest January 24th!
From the Director:
Sequoias of the Sea by Natasha Benjamin & Ana Blanco (54:00 min.)
“Sequoias of the Sea” tells the story of the environmental, cultural and economic destruction impacting a Northern California town that has lost its kelp forest. It’s a deep dive into the lives of fishermen, tribes, scientists, and a community working to restore a habitat devastated by a warming climate.
Kelp forests, found along nearly a quarter of global coastlines, are crucial climate change mitigators, but this species is in trouble. Along the Northern California coast we have lost a striking 95% of these underwater forests. Due to a perfect storm of changing ocean conditions, we are witnessing an ecological disaster in real time. What’s happening in the ocean is changing lives on land, bringing fishermen, scientists and tribe members together, to restore this critical ecosystem and build a new blue economy. Join the movement to help the kelp!
LINK: https://hmsc.oregonstate.edu/big-blue-film-fest/schedule-films

OMSI After Dark!
2026-01-28 18:00 - 22:00 UTC | Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, 1945 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR, 97214, United States
Join us at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland for an evening of ocean exploration! We’ll have a table at the event featuring our brand new urchin touch tank; your chance to hold a live sea urchin! Stop by to chat with our team and learn more about kelp forests and our work to restore and protect these vital marine ecosystems.
Purchase Tickets Here:
https://tickets.omsi.edu/events/019a9ed9-97cc-5d74-a20b-5ed4d4aa6d79
21+ And over please.

Cape Perpetua Collaborative Land Sea Symposium
2026-01-30 16:30 - 20:00 UTC | Yachats Commons Building, 441 Highway 101 North, Yachats, OR, 97498, United States
Cape Perpetua For All!
The Land–Sea Symposium is Cape Perpetua Collaborative’s signature annual event. It’s a dynamic gathering where science, storytelling, and stewardship meet. This one-night symposium brings together partner organizations, artists, scientists, decision-makers, and community members to explore the complex challenges and opportunities facing Oregon’s coastal and ocean environments.
ORKA Crew member Dr Sara Hamilton will be attending, be sure to say hi and strike up a conversation about kelp!

Winter Waters Newport
2026-02-06 - 2026-02-08 | OR
We’re so excited to take part of this year’s Winter Waters festival! Here’s a not to be missed event in Newport:
Winter Waters is taking over Newport, Oregon with public events over the weekend of February 6-8, 2026. Huge thank you to Discover Newport for your support.
Newport holds a special place in the hearts of Winter Waters co-founders Rachelle, Alanna, and Kristen. We’ve hosted events in this coastal town since year 1 of Winter Waters, and we’re excited to continue to grow the series here!

Port of Bandon Tour
2026-02-20 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | OR
We’re so excited to take part of this year’s Winter Waters festival! Here’s a not to be missed event in Bandon:
Join us for a guided tour of the Port of Bandon, where you’ll explore the future of coastal aquaculture and marine restoration.
During this tour, we’ll be introduced to the area by Dr. Charis McGaughy, operator of Bandon Tours. Charis is a lifelong learner with decades of experience in public education. She holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and serves on the board of the Bandon Historical Society Museum. In her talk, she will share the rich history of the people who have long called the Southern Oregon Coast home.

Winter Waters Reedsport
2026-02-21 | OR
We’re SO excited to be bringing the Winter Waters series to Reedsport, Oregon for a seaweed and seafood-action packed day on Saturday, February 21st, 2026.
Details are coming soon but you can expect a sushi-making class at Kismet’s Landing using locally caught fish, and a special seaweed rum tasting at Stillwagon Distillery.
Please sign up for Winter Waters newsletter for first dibs on tickets.

Winter Waters at 7 Devils Coos Bay
2026-02-22 | OR
We’re so excited to take part of this year’s Winter Waters festival! Here’s a not to be missed event in Coos Bay, our own Miles Rough will be there talking about Kelp Forest Dynamics:
From Winter Waters:
We’ve been so excited for the oppurtunity to do an event with 7 Devils Brewery. Deeply rooted in Oregon’s south coast, 7 Devils takes “local” seriously, weaving community, craft, and coastal pride into everything they do. From sourcing regional ingredients to uplifting farmers, musicians, distillers, and artists, they embody the spirit of the Adventure Coast and invite everyone to experience it fully.
While their handcrafted ales are the heartbeat of the brewery (including their Elakha Ale using local dulse seaweed), 7 Devils’ commitment goes far beyond drinks. Their approach to food mirrors our own mission: honoring the coastal cornucopia and showcasing the flavors, people, and stories that make this place special. It’s about connections to the land, sea, and communit, and creating spaces where local abundance is celebrated and shared.

Winter Waters Gold Beach
2026-02-27 | OR
We’re so excited to take part of this year’s Winter Waters festival! Here’s a not to be missed event in Gold Beach:
Friday, February 27, 2026 — Gold Beach, OR
Mark your calendar and be part of something extra special in Gold Beach. We’re putting on a Gold Beach Seafood Tour, including a behind the scenes look at how your seafood is processed at Fisherman Direct Seafoods, complete with smoked fish tasting and a Dungeness crab picking demo (learn from the professionals!). You’ll have the opportunity to buy a huge variety of local seafood, so make sure to bring a cooler. We’ll enjoy lunch from the folks at Woggy’s, a fisher-family owned and operated eatery that only sells the fish they catch, and makes incredible fish & chips and rockfish sandwiches. More details and ticketing coming soon!

Port Orford SeaFest
2026-02-28 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | OR
We’re so excited to take part of this year’s Winter Waters festival! Here’s a not to be missed event where it all started for us as an organization, Port Orford:
February 28th, 2026, 2pm-6pm — Mr. Ed’s Underground Pub, Port Orford, OR
Mark your calendar and be part of something extra special – Winter Waters is returning to this gem of a fishing village, Port Orford!
Our main event in Port Orford is a fun, free, family-friendly event at Mr. Ed’s Underground Pub. Come enjoy an afternoon celebrating local seafare and the people who make it all possible. We’ll have a marine touch tank, folks from the seafood industry presenting information and samples, seafood processing demos, sea urchin tastings, and seaweed cooking demo + tasting. Bring the whole family and order seaweed-specials from the Mr. Ed’s menu. See the event recap from Port Orford SeaFest 2025 to get a feel for what’s in store next year.
This is a free event, no RSVP required. Simply show up!

Winter Waters Brookings
2026-03-01 | OR
Sunday, March 1, 2026 – Brookings, Oregon
We’re SO excited to be bringing the Winter Waters series to Brookings, Oregon for a seaweed and seafood-action packed day on March 1, 2026.
Details are coming soon but please sign up for the winter waters newsletter for first dibs on tickets.

ORKA Tap Talk at Common Fields Corvallis!
2026-03-12 17:30 - 19:00 UTC | Common Fields, 545 SW 3rd St., Corvallis, OR, 97333, United States
Come join ORKA all summer long as we talk about our upcoming field season and what going on in Oregon’s oceans. Percentage of beer sales benefits our work, thanks to Common Fields for having us out!

Kelp Restoration: A Blueprint for a Healthy Ocean with Dr. Sara Hamilton
2026-04-08 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Webinar, OR, United States
Kelp Restoration: A Blueprint for a Healthy Ocean with Dr. Sara Hamilton
Wednesday, April 8, 6-7:30 p.m.
Dr. Hamilton will tell the story of the Oregon Kelp Alliance (ORKA), starting with its origin in 2020. She will discuss the 2024 Kelp Forest Status Report, which for the first time documented the changes taking place in Oregon’s kelp forests over the past 15 years. Learn about the ongoing Oregon Kelp Forest Stewardship Initiative and how ORKA is working to restore and preserve these vibrant ecosystems. Sara will close with a few thoughts about the future of kelp forest stewardship here in Oregon, followed by audience Q & A.
Dr. Sara Hamilton is Science Coordinator for the Oregon Kelp Alliance (ORKA), where she has worked since 2022. She came to ORKA after receiving her Ph.D. studying kelp forest ecology and conservation at Oregon State University. She was also a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California-Davis, researching patterns of hypoxia and acidification across the California Current and the implications of these patterns for shellfish. At ORKA, she led the writing of the 2024 Kelp Forest Status Report and is helping to implement the NOAA-funded Oregon Kelp Forest Stewardship Initiative. She lives in Eugene, Oregon, on the occupied lands of the Kalapuya peoples, whose descendants are often enrolled in the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon. After her day job, Sara goes to her night job, where she works full time adoring her rescue dog, D. B. Cooper.

ORKA Tap Talk at Common Fields Corvallis
2026-04-09 05:30 - 19:30, 2026-05-14 17:30 - 19:00 UTC | Common Fields, 545 SW 3rd St., Corvallis, OR, 97333, United States
Come join ORKA all spring & summer long as we talk about our upcoming field season and what going on in Oregon’s oceans. Percentage of beer sales benefits our work, thanks to Common Fields for having us out!

SW Oregon Community College Talk
2026-04-09 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | SW Oregon Community, 1988 Newmark Ave, Coos Bay, OR, 97420, United States
Join our Urchin expert, Carolyn, for a talk about what’s happening in your local oceans, kelp and urchins.

OREGON COAST FILM FESTIVAL - KELP DOCUMENTARY!
2026-04-11 14:00 - 16:00 UTC | Egyptian Theater, 229 South Broadway, Coos Bay, OR, 97420, United States
The documentary that our own Justin Myers and Fujifilm cameras did on the kelp issue in Port Orford will be playing in April at the Egyptian theater in Coos, Bay! Come see the film and join us for a Q&A afterward.
Tickets: https://www.egyptiantheatre.events/coming-soon/oregon-coast-film-festival-8p4hp

OMSI Trivia Night
2026-04-15 18:30 - 20:30 UTC | Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, 1945 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR, 97214, United States
Join us at OMSI for a fun night of Trivia with Glenford Kennedy! Come test your knowledge of the ocean, kelp and urchins with us in the Museum’s restaurant, Theory, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

OMSI After Dark: Bogs & Swamps
2026-04-22 18:00 - 22:00 UTC | Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, 1945 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR, 97214, United States
We’re back at OMSI After Dark! Join us for a night of hands-on fun — touch sea urchins, learn cool marine science, and if you’re feeling bold… taste one. Yes, really. Come hang with us!
Tickets here:
https://omsi.edu/events/omsi-after-dark-bogs-and-swamps/

ORKA Tap Talk at Common Fields Corvallis!
2026-06-11 17:30 - 2026-09-13 19:00, 2026-07-09 17:30 - 19:00, 2026-08-13 17:30 - 19:00, 2026-09-10 17:30 - 19:00 UTC | Common Fields, 545 SW 3rd St., Corvallis, OR, 97333, United States
