Yaquina Head Tide Pools - "Quarry Cove"

Yaquina Head; Located in Newport, Oregon

Map of Yaquina Head


Exact location of tide pool- "Quarry Cove"

Located on the Oregon Coast!

Historic Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

“Quarry Cove” served as a source for rock materials for the U.S. Highway 101 from the 1920s to the 1980s.

Historic Quarry Cove

Present Yaquina Head

Built with handicapped passagways and easily accesible areas, Yaquina Head's "Quarry Cove" is the first man  made tidal ecosystem.

Yaquina Head is famous for this lighthouse that stands 93 feet tall, overlooking Quarry Cove.

Quarry Cove welcomes all visitors and is easily accessible to all that come to admire.

 Historical State of the Ecosystem 

The Yaquina Head Tide Pools are attractive to the public eye because their ecosystem is full of history regarding not only the structure of their ecosystem, but the surrounding area as well. Yaquina Head, which is located in Newport, Oregon, is considered to be one of the most gorgeous and accessible wildlife and ocean viewing locations of the Pacific Coast.  Besides for the tide pools, one of the main attractions to the site is the ninety-three foot Yaquina Head light house overlooking the water. This is considered to be the tallest tower on the Oregon coast and can be seen nineteen miles out to sea. This landmark was closed to all the public for numerous years until 1993 when the Coast Guard turned it over to the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Soon after public access to the lighthouse was granted, the BLM opened what is known as “Quarry Cove” in June of 1994 to attract marine life to a former rock quarry site. The name was given because this site was a source for rock materials for the U.S. Highway 101 from 1920 until 1980. Quarry Cove is the first ever man made tidal ecosystem and it took two years to construct this habitat that supports marine organisms such us sea urchins, anemones, sea stars, barnacles and crabs in the same way as naturally formed tide pool areas. Quarry Cove is the first location where building a rocky inter tidal ecosystem has been attempted, and is also accessible and barrier-free to everyone.

 Human Impacts on the Ecosystem

Humans have both positive and negative impacts on the Yaquina Head Tide Pools. Due to the fact that this particular ecosystem is man made, it would not exist if it weren't for humans. Dr. Brosnan, Lana Crumrine, Tim Grubba and Steve Gobat, (manager of Yaquina Head), designed this project with the goal to maximize visitor enjoyment of the inter tidal wilderness while at the same time minimizing impacts on the marine life.  

As a coastal habitat, the Yaquina Head tide pools endure a great amount of negative human impacts. Some harm occurs as a direct result of our visits either through trampling or collecting. Other effects on the ecosystem occur indirectly as a result of being neighbors with a large human population. As human populations continue to increase along the coastline, more and more people are taking plants and animals from their habitat to use for food, bait and most recently, aquariums. Well-intentioned but unaware humans are contributing to the destruction of this ecosystem. Trampling occurs when visitors step over and crush organisms during exploration. Although these organisms are able to withstand the harsh forces of the ocean, they are very fragile!  It’s understandable that this is sometimes unavoidable, but it not only destructs the habitat but kills the organisms of the ecosystem as well. Pollution is an indirect result of careless human behavior. Urban runoff, which is  pollution that is washed by rain, sprinklers and any running water from our yards, streets and other urban spaces into nearby waterways and eventually into the ocean.  The pollution that gets washed away includes pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizer from our lawns; car fluids from roads and driveways; pet waste, and litter in general. Discarded trash, oil spills, sewage spills and toxic chemical runoff can all negatively impact inter tidal marine life. Beaches may get to close down after a rainstorm to protect us from toxins in the runoff, but tide pools can’t close down for their inhabitants. The little things we do really add up and make a difference! It’s our decision if that decision will be a positive or negative one.

 Despite the fact that the Yaquina Tide Pools were designed to preserve and protect, damage is still being done. Our careless behaviors are becoming habits, and if we keep them up then we can say goodbye to the healthy, beautiful and happy tide pools; and hello to a disappointing mess. If collecting goes on for too much longer, soon there won’t be anything left to collect. It might not seem like much when one organism is being taken away from their environment, but little things add up over time. Each organism fills a role in its habitat, is extremely valuable and contributes to the survival of the ecosystem. In a strong ecosystem with high biodiversity, all roles must be consistently maintained in order for the ecosystem to be successful. Unaware humans are contributing to the destruction of this ecosystem. Trampling causes damage to the fragile organisms and you can only drop something so many times before it breaks. Coastal pollution caused from discarded trash, oil spills, sewage spills and toxic chemical runoff will over time either kill off the habitat because it will be impossible to live in those conditions or cause the organisms to slowly relocate until there is nothing left.

"These animals are amazing. They live in one of the harshest environments on the planet, but they are also very delicate. Undisturbed, they can live to be 80 years old. Respect them. Never pick them up or pry them off, or move them to a different pool – you can kill hundreds of animals by doing that. Leave with memories and photographs, not trophies.”

“I’ve talked to people who say that when they were children, there were sea stars all over the place, so they took four or five home. Now, they want to know where all the stars are. I try to help people understand just how hardy and delicate these animals are.”

Quote Source

The best way to maintain the quality of the tide pools is to take care of it while we still have it. The Yaquina Head tide pools were open to the public for our own fun and enjoyment so it is important to remember to honor and be respectful of the habitat. If you handle any of the animals, remember to be very careful with them because they are fragile and put them back exactly where you found them. Visitors should also keep in mind that it is actually against the law to remove any animal from the beach unless he or she has a special permit. Rather than giving up our exploration of the tide pools, everyone should be more aware of their surroundings so that trampling is no longer a serious issue. Visitors can be more aware of their surroundings and step safely. Tide pools can be severely damaged if you walk on them! Finally, pollution is not something that can be stopped overnight but it can be prevented. Making small changes like picking up your trash and properly disposing of it, minimizing your use of fertilizers and pesticides and growing native plants instead of high-maintenance plants can make a huge difference and keep our tide pools looking great!

This figure illustrates the damage done to mussels in a tide pool caused by "trampling."Dangers to Tide Pools on the Rocky Shores- "Trampling"

Trampling Intensity


Marine Life Animals in low tide are very susceptible to "trampling" and "collecting"

References :

"Here Are a Few Major Impacts We." Here Are a Few Major Impacts We. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.fortrossstatepark.org/tidepooltips.htm>.

"Human Impacts." ::. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://cmbc.ucsd.edu/Research/student_research/MAS_capstone/Human_Impacts/>.
"Lateral Lines: Tide Pools Part 3: Human Visitors and Their Usage." — Advanced Aquarist. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/11/lines>.
 "TIDE POOLS - Human Impact & Conservation." TIDE POOLS - Human Impact & Conservation. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.seaworld.org/wild-world/ecosystems/info-books/tide-pools/human-impact.htm>.
 "Tidepooling - Oregon Coast TODAY." Oregon Coast TODAY. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.oregoncoasttoday.com/tidepooling.html>.

"U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR." Research at YHONA Oregon/Washington BLM. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
 "U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR." Tide Pooling Oregon/Washington BLM. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/yaquina/tide-pooling.php>.
"Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area." Esri Map Book Gallery Volume 21. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume21/cartography1.html>.