Cascade Head Biosphere Region celebrates 50 years

Community members and visitors are invited to the 50th anniversary celebration for the Cascade Head Biosphere Region.

The Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative, in partnership with the Explore Lincoln City Team, invites the public to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Cascade Head Biosphere Region from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 18, at Knight Park on the Salmon River Estuary, just north of Lincoln City.

This free, family-friendly celebration honors five decades of international recognition for one of the world's most spectacular natural landscapes, according to organizers. In 1976, Cascade Head was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, recognizing its extraordinary ecological diversity and its role as a global model for balancing conservation, scientific research, education, and sustainable communities. Today, Cascade Head remains Oregon's only UNESCO Biosphere Region, joining a worldwide network of more than 700 biosphere reserves across over 128 countries.

The anniversary celebration will feature presentations from internationally respected conservation leaders, including Dr. Jerry Franklin, one of the world's foremost forest ecologists whose pioneering work has transformed modern forest management, and Jon Alan, Chairman of the U.S. Biosphere Network, who will share the importance of biosphere regions in addressing today's environmental challenges.

Visitors of all ages are invited to experience an afternoon filled with outdoor adventures, educational programs, and family activities celebrating the unique natural heritage of Cascade Head. Activities include:

- Live music

- Estuary boat tours

- Guided birding excursions

- Hikes on Cascade Head

- "Secrets of Salmon Revealed" educational experiences

- Nature activities for children and families

- Snacks and refreshments

- Interactive exhibits and opportunities to learn about the region's remarkable ecology

Night Sky at Knight Park 8 p.m. –10 p.m.

As daylight fades, the celebration continues beneath the stars at Knight Park. Settle in for an evening of classical music under the night sky before exploring distant galaxies, star clusters, and other celestial wonders through a during a guided deep-space astronomy experience led by professional astronomer Sifan Kahale.

The evening's musical performances feature Brandon Lucas of Singing Sasquatch Music Center and Dan Pack of the Siletz Bay Music Festival, providing a memorable soundtrack to a night of music, discovery, and the wonders of the cosmos.

BACKGROUND

Stretching from the Pacific Ocean to old-growth forests and the Salmon River Estuary, the Cascade Head Biosphere Region is widely recognized as one of the most beautiful and biologically diverse landscapes in the world. Its stunning scenery, rich cultural history, and rare ecosystems continue to inspire visitors, scientists, educators, and conservationists from around the globe.

The Cascade Head Biosphere Region is a 102,110-acre site originally designated in 1976 on the Central Oregon Coast by the United Nations Man and Biosphere Programme and then reauthorized to the current footprint in 2017.

Supporters describe the region as a rare ecosystem that includes the Salmon River and its estuary, a sandy littoral spit, densely forested uplands, a two-mile basalt headland covered in native coastal prairie, and a marine reserve stretching west into the Pacific Ocean. Wildlife in the region is diverse and abundant, including endangered species. The unique region is protected and managed by a community of agencies, nonprofits, businesses, and residents in the surrounding communities.

In August 2025, the Lincoln County Leader published a story about Northwest Travel & Life magazine featuring the Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative in the article entitled ‘Protected Places Exploring Biosphere Reserves throughout the Northwest.’

“These places are stunning – not just for their natural beauty and biodiversity, but also for the communities and cultural traditions they support,” Northwest Travel & Life Chief Editorial Director Allan Cox writes in his Editor’s Note in the beginning of the magazine. “The idea behind a Biosphere Reserve is to find balance between people using the land and nature continuing to thrive.”

Reacting to the recognition, Cascade Head Biosphere Region Staff Scientist, Project and Communications Manager Paul Robertson said he and the Cascade Head Biosphere team are continually surprised by the interconnections.

“What continues to amaze us is how interconnected everything is. The Cascade Head Biosphere Region isn’t just about protecting a landscape and/or seascape—it’s about nurturing relationships between people, place, and each other,” Robertson said. “We’ve also been inspired by the creativity of our community, from local artists to youth who bring fresh perspectives to conservation and resilience.”

In an interview with the Lincoln County Leader highlighting the July 18 celebration, Robertson said the significance of the Cascade Head Biosphere Region to our community and beyond, is that it is a place where people and nature thrive together.

“ It protects one of the most biologically diverse landscapes on the Oregon Coast while serving as a living laboratory for research, education, and conservation:” he said. “Locally, it strengthens our economy, quality of life, and sense of place. Globally, it demonstrates how communities can balance environmental stewardship with sustainable living.”

Robertson said over the years, the Cascade Head Biosphere Region has effectively connected the community

“For five decades, the Biosphere Region has brought together scientists, educators, Tribal partners, land managers, nonprofits, businesses, volunteers, artists, and residents around a shared purpose,”: he said. “It has fostered collaboration across property boundaries and organizations, creating opportunities for learning, restoration, recreation, and community engagement that benefit both people and the landscape.”

Robertson also shared his vision for the Cascade Head Biosphere Region for the next 50 years.

“The vision is to inspire future generations to become stewards of this remarkable place,” he said. “That means expanding environmental education, strengthening partnerships, supporting climate resilience, advancing community-based research, honoring Indigenous knowledge, and ensuring that healthy forests, rivers, estuaries, and oceans continue to sustain both wildlife and the people who call this region home. The next 50 years are about building a community where conservation, science, culture, and opportunity continue to grow together.”