Hector and I found the name Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area a bit unusual. But we discovered that an Outstanding Natural Area (ONA) is a Bureau of Land Management designation established by Congress “primarily to protect unique scenic, scientific, educational, and recreational values. Recreation activities focus on education and interpretation of the ONA’s unique resources”. So there.
June reportedly has the most negative tides of the year in Oregon. So we visited Yaquina Head’s tide pools during low tide on days when there was a negative tide. The weather was variable as is the norm around here, from sunshine to wind to rain.
As we walked down to the appropriately named “Cobble Beach” we encountered multiple groups of students with teachers and several rangers. It was fun, but quite noisy. Overhearing bits of the lesson, it sounded like a great day of learning.