Priorities

Priority 1

Ocean Conservation Funding

The Oregon Ocean Alliance is working to defend existing ocean conservation funding, while helping to secure new funding to support coastal and marine conservation, with a primary focus on state agency budgets and legislative opportunities.

For the upcoming 2026 Oregon legislative session our focus is on getting the 1% for Wildlife bill across the finish line. Passage of this bill would generate significant annual funding to support management, research and restoration activities to recover Oregon’s most at-risk habitats, wildlife and fish species. If passed, the Alliance will work to ensure that agency spending authorized by this bill provides an appropriate share aimed at ocean conservation consistent with our other priorities.

Harbor Seals, Erik Urdahl
Priority 2

Ocean Climate Resilience

The Oregon Ocean Alliance is committed to furthering ocean climate resilience through the support or expansion of legislative policies that protect, conserve, and fund the conservation of important marine and coastal habitats in tandem with community needs. We aim to use this work to move forward Governor Kotek’s Executive Order 25-26 on climate resilience by supporting protection of coastal and marine climate resilient habitats in balance with supporting strong coastal communities and local economies.

This legislative priority will likely include one or more bills aimed at protection of the Alliance’s climate resilient focal habitats.

Observations at Cape Arago, Erik Urdahl

Champion Building & Policymaker Outreach

To support our funding and legislative priorities (Priorities 1 & 2), the Oregon Ocean Alliance is building champions of conservation to help engage with and inform policymakers about ocean conservation issues through collective Alliance communications and by connecting policymakers with Alliance members on issues of high concern to Alliance members and of interest to policymakers.
Signing Ceremony with Governor Kotek