The
Rock
Located
at Cannon Beach on the North coast of Oregon, Haystack Rock is a
unique monolith that attracts wildlife and tourists alike.
Towering
235 feet over the beach, the Rock is home to nesting seabirds in the
summer and marine invertebrates all year long. Tidepoolers
are drawn
to its wonders every day.
By our estimates as many as
200,000 people visit Haystack Rock every year, mostly during the summer
months when the tidepools are teeming and the nesting seabirds, proudly
showing off breeding plumage, are busy introducing little ones into the
world. Haystack Rock is protected under U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a seabird nesting colony and under Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife as a Marine
Garden.
The Haystack Rock
Awareness Program
The Haystack
Rock Awareness Program (HRAP) is
a stewardship and environmental educational program whose mission is to
increase the awareness of the fragile environment in the Haystack Rock
Marine Garden and Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Since its modest
beginnings in 1985, HRAP has educated and inspired tens of thousands of
adults and children to learn about the natural resources not only at
Haystack Rock but also in their own backyards and special places.
HRAP
is a professionally staffed, volunteer driven program operated by the City of Cannon Beach that also receives program funds from the non-profit Friends of Haystack Rock and generous private donations.
The program also receives support from US Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife, Friends of Haystack Rock, Oregon
Department of Land Conservancy and Development, Oregon State Parks and
the Seaside Aquarium.
Stewardship
and Environmental Education
Our focus has always been stewardship and protecting the ecosystem from
thoughtless harm. To accomplish this, HRAP offers an
extensive
interpretive program on the beach at Haystack Rock during the spring
and summer months.
Our trained staff and volunteers can answer questions on topics ranging from
the
simple (What is that? What does
it eat?) to the complex (What
are the ecological consequences
of
collecting animals or plants from this area?).
By showing, telling, and
teaching, we encourage visitors to look
closely, touch gently, step carefully, and take only pictures.