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Member Spotlight – Fawn Custer, Oregon

I have been a marine educator for over 35 years.  Besides working with various school and scout groups, I have the opportunity to work with over 1300 amazing volunteers along the Oregon coast who have adopted a mile of beach and are asked to report officially, quarterly, on the state of their beach. My job is to make sure our volunteers are introduced to the most recent research, coastal concerns and interesting findings on the beaches they’ll be visiting.

I am currently NAME Oregon Treasurer, Past Oregon Director, and a Past NAME President (2011-2012). I’ve been a member since 1993 or 1994, since I helped with the 1992 conference as an employee for Sea Grant at Hatfield Marine Science Center. I have found my contacts in NAME to be very beneficial to my success as a marine educator.  We always have a wonderful time exploring our water world!

This spring I’m looking forward to going to Qatar to visit my daughter and family, go to the beach and check out the different marine organisms there, then to Sri Lanka to check out the beaches there, go on a Blue Whale watching tour and visit the sea turtle rescue center.  For the summer,  I’m looking forward to hanging with my buds from afar, participating in some of the freshwater experiences and, of course, the banquet/auction at our annual conference.

Oregon CoastWatch is celebrating its 25th year of collecting data along the 362 miles of coastline.  We will be hosting various events throughout the year to commemorate the commitment of our volunteers.  We will be kicking this off with our annual “Sharing the Coast Conference”, which is celebrating the 10th year of our partnership with the Oregon Chapter of NAME.  This year, Cannon Beach and the Haystack Rock Awareness Program in Cannon Beach, Oregon are hosting it.  We would love to have our awesome NAME members attend.  To register or for more information about CoastWatch or the conference, feel free to contact me at fawn@oregonshores.org  or 541.270.0027.

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