Breaking Waves

Scotch broom, Japanese eelgrass, Quagga mussels, and Oregonians: How are they related? The first three are non-native, invasive species of plants and animals -  and  Oregonians often unknowingly spread these and a growing number of other invaders. But they can also stop invasive species before they spread.

A year-long educational effort to prevent the spread of invasive species in Oregon ramps up this month, with the premiere of a new documentary film produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting. The hour-long documentary, “The Silent Invasion,” has its OPB broadcast premiere on Earth Day, April 22 at 8 p.m.

But Oregon Sea Grant’s contributions of time and expertise to the production is bringing special advance screenings to Corvallis, on April 9, and Nweport, on April 17.

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Visit our new Marine Invaders page for more tools to aid in the fight to identify and control the spread of invasive animals and plants.

Visitors to OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Visitor Center in Newport can now tune in to video tours that describe the center’s exhibits, the work of HSMC researchers and what goes on behind the scenes to keep the public aquarium healthy and functioning.

The short videos, produced by Oregon Sea Grant Communications, are available as podcasts, downloadable to your personal computer, iPod or other hand-held device.

Visitors can download the videos at home to get a preview of what’s in store for them - or they can check out iPods when they arrive at the Visitor Center and use them as portable guides to the center’s interactive exhibits. Most of the videos are also great for anyone interested in learning more about marine science.

It’s all part of a larger effort to understand more about how people learn in “free-choice” settings such as the Visitor Center. Sea Grant’s Free-Choice Learning educator, Shawn Rowe, and his team of student asssitants are surveying visitors to determine whether adding iPods to the Visitor Center mix might change or enhance learning.

Subscribe to the podcasts via iTunes or our direct RSS feed

The Oregon coast can be a risky place if you’re not used to it - especially if your idea of “beach” involves splashing around in warm, shallow water and gentle waves. Learn how to avoid some of the biggest threats - treacherous rip currents that can sweep swimmers out to sea, and massive logs that can get tossed like toothpicks by the surf - with on-line versions of from our new video, Beach Safety Basics. (Flash player required)
View these and other video clips here.

Celilo Falls and the Remaking of the Columbia River: 50th Anniversary Edition. This award-winning documentary uses rare archival footage and photos to examine a turning point in the history of the Pacific Northwest. For more than 10,000 years the region’s native peoples lived successfully off the land and waters. Salmon was a mainstay of the Indians’ diet, and for millennia Celilo Falls was the great Indian fishery on the mid-Columbia River, drawing people from throughout the West to trade for salmon. Then, in 1957, a giant hydroelectric dam at The Dalles drowned Celilo Falls and ended the fishery there for all time. Celilo Falls and the Remaking of the Columbia River provides a glimpse of life at Celilo as it once was and considers the cultural, social, and political forces that brought about its end. This 2007 edition marks the 50th anniversary of the inundation, with additional rare Celilo footage provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 2007. Color, DVD. 29 minutes. $19.95 plus $2 shipping and handling.

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Just in time for vacation season, two new, short videos from Oregon Sea Grant address two of the most common safety hazards associated with the Pacific Northwest coasts: rolling logs and rip currents. All too often, visitors to our beaches are unfamiliar with the dangers of playing on large logs that may roll in the surf, or powerful rip currents which can pull swimmers out to sea. The two videos contained on this DVD explain these hazards and how to avoid or respond safely to them, using interviews with experts to emphasize key insights.

The videos are intended for use wherever coastal visitors congregate, including coastal museums,visitor centers, hotels, motels, campgrounds, and local cable TV stations.

Available  for $6.95 per copy plus $2 shipping and handling:

• from our on-line store
• by calling (800) 375-9360 (ask for item no. ORESU-V-07-003)