About

ABOUT SEA – Shoreline Education for Awareness, Inc.

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.