Dale Schmidt will leave his position as aquarium president soon for the midwest. (Photo Oregon Coast Aquarium)(Newport, Oregon) - It's been a month of big changes, milestones and additions already at the big tourist attraction in Newport. Oregon Coast Aquarium President and Chief Executive Officer Dale Schmidt announced his resignation, a major grant was presented to the facility and it celebrated its ten millionth visitor this past week.Schmidt began his tenure at the Aquarium on December 1, 2004, and announced in early September that he would be leaving his position here a position for the Assistant Zoo Director and Chief Operating Officer at The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Columbus, Ohio. The move will bring Schmidt closer to his family in the Midwest. A national search for Schmidt’s replacement has begun.Schmidt originally from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Florida where he served as Executive Director. He previously served as the Vice President of Operations at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa following a career of increasingly responsible positions with Busch Gardens and Universal Studios Florida.
A fur seal at Oregon Coast Aquarium"I am very proud to have had the opportunity to lead such a fine team of staff and volunteers," Schmidt said. "Our accomplishments over the last four years are truly a testament to the dedication and hard work of the board of directors, staff, and volunteers. I have really enjoyed my tenure at the Aquarium, but the opportunity to move closer to family and become part of a dynamic institution such as the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium was an offer too good to refuse. I have every confidence that the positive steps we have taken since my arrival will continue making this the preeminent attraction and ocean education center we all envision it can become."
Fred Postlewait, Chairman of the Aquarium Board of Directors, said Schmidt has served well in his position as President and CEO at the Aquarium. "Dale has done a marvelous job in leading us the past four years and we wish him the very best. We are grateful for everything he has done for the Aquarium and the community."
Getting a sea lion kiss at the aquarium.Aquarium management noted some significant forward motion for the facility since Schmidt took over. Milestones he is getting at least partial credit for include getting named in the "Top Ten Aquariums" by various media in the last four years, stabilizing the aquarium's financial situation, increased revenue and attendance, and the passing of a county room tax to help support the aquarium and the local fairgrounds. During Schmidt’s time, the aquarium was also able to complete a five-year plan for its future, and improve its outreach programs to students all over the state, as well as greatly increase its public image.Some big money came the way of the facility recently as well.
One of many freaky and colorful ocean fish at the facility.The Aquarium has received a two thousand dollar grant from US Bancorp, which will assist the Aquarium with one of its primary objectives: to foster an informed stewardship of the coastal environment. The money will got to funding onsite and outreach programs during the coming school year.
Passages of the Deep, one of Oregon's biggest tourist attractions.Schmidt said the programs are engaging a larger number of students, through this donation and other efforts. Schmidt said all Aquarium exhibits and programs focus on coastal habitats, from the forests of the Coast Range , through rivers and estuaries, to the shoreline and the open sea. “It is a complex story that we tell,” Schmidt said. “What makes the coastal ecosystem special, how the habitats work together and what can affect them.” In 2007, 28,777 students from 103 schools in Oregon benefited from the Aquarium's outreach programs. Visitors come from all over the state and the world, like Japan and Germany, and many others. Since its opening in 1992, ten million people have walked through the Oregon Coast Aquarium’s doors.
The Scott family from Idaho (photo Cindy Hansen, Oregon Coast Aquarium).The aquarium was able to celebrate its ten millionth visitor this week.When Peggy Scott approached the admissions desk at the Oregon Coast Aquarium with her family on September 11, she had no idea what awaited her. Most of the Aquarium staff stood waiting with prizes and fanfare to bestow upon some lucky person while visitors were counted down to a major milestone. As she was approached by Cherie Whittington, Aquarium Visitor Services Manager, Scott’s eyes widened with surprise as she was told about her status as the Aquarium’s 10 millionth visitor. She was presented with prizes that included a lifetime family membership, a gift basket full of Aquarium merchandise and an announcement over the Aquarium’s PA system.“I had no idea what was going on,” said Scott. “This is unbelievable.” Scott smiled and accepted the prizes graciously as Aquarium staff surrounded her and her family with cheers and applause. The Scotts, including husband Rusty, son D.J. and daughter Rachel and their families, were visiting Newport from Napa and Caldwell Idaho. “We hadn’t been here since Keiko was here and decided it was time to visit the Oregon coast again,” said Scott.
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RELATED STORIESClick here for video of Dec. storm aftermathWatching Transformations of Oregon Coast Beaches Seasons change and so do beaches, revealing different sides and a variety of eye-popping sightsStaggeringly Cool Ideas for Oregon Coast Romance Be it the season of Valentine's or be it any time of the year, Oregon's coastline has essentially cornered the market for cuddle-inducing possibilities and gushy activities for the hand-holding setDay or Night Mysteries and Merriment on Oregon Coast It's more than just nightlife that comes to life, but the beaches offer major opportunities
ASTORIAWhere the Columbia meets the Pacific, Land of Lewis & Clark and loads of atmosphere & history
SEASIDE
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CANNON BEACHA mysterious lighthouse, upscale yet earthy, a huge monolith, fine eateries & an art mecca
NEHALEM BAY
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TILLAMOOK BAY
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THREE CAPES LOOP
The hidden secret of the coast: Cape Meares, a lighthouse, Oceanside, Netarts and Pacific City
DEPOE BAYA spouting horn downtown, freaky hidden cliffs and whales, whales, whales
NEWPORTTime-tripping Nye Beach, a bustling bayfront, marine science-central and two lighthouses
YACHATS
Constantly dramatic wave action, a mix of the rugged & upscale
FLORENCE
A lighthouse, ancient bayfront and miles and miles of fluffy dunes
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(Oregon Coast) - Many times, the coast is filled with instances of secrets hiding in plain sight. Sometimes it's wild and hidden beaches. Sometimes it's familiar places that take on a whole new look if you move around. Other times, it's just a matter of using a zoom lens, or walking somewhere new. The places you know well still hold odd surprises: whether you’re a first time visitor or a jaded regular. You just have to know how to look for them.Forbidden Beach Near Depoe Bay (above)Near Depoe Bay and just north of Newport, there’s the Otter Crest Road, a one-lane hidden street that runs just below Highway 101. As it skirts along the edge of sweeping cliffs and round tight corners, inspiring views spring in front of your car.You can only head south here, eventually meeting up with Cape Foulweather. Along the way, you encounter a host of other secret cliffs below you, some of which have even more secretive entrances. But one mysterious beach comes into view, just a tad north of Foulweather, a forbidden beach which no one can ever walk.There is no way to access it, except by boat, and even then conditions would likely almost never be conducive to that. So this small patch of rough, rather large stones remains untouched – probably forever. In fact, you can’t even see it unless you trudge precariously close to the cliff’s edge. So it's forbidden even to the eyes of most humans as well.
Another Face of Cape KiwandaEveryone knows Cape Kiwanda and its wind-sculpted cliffs, which become a startling gold color when the sun hits it just right. But everyone knows it from its southern face, and how it looks from the northern side is a bit of a mystery.If you trudge the top of the structure and head to its northern end, you see a variety of structures and shapes. From the beach perspective, this end shows off the complex design, carved out by interesting erosion, waves slamming against the sandstone for millennia and wind tearing at it. There’s a small canyon of sorts, where the sea sprays upward as it slams into one rockface or another – and an arch overhead seems to provide a rather grandiose entrance to the area. You can see vegetation atop the forward chunk of cliff, similar to the vegetation atop the rest of the cliff behind it. So it appears as if somewhere in the last millennia or two a whole section was eroded away, leaving two different cliffs, divided by this canyon and a kind of channel of raging ocean.
Rockaway's Twin Rocks In Your FaceWhile Rockaway Beach – the town – began around 1909, the big landmark we all know as Twin Rocks started out about 45 million years ago, with lava flows so enormous they seared their way hundreds of miles until they reached the Pacific Ocean, which was then some distance east of where it is now.Here is Twin Rocks up close, in a way you don’t normally get to see the structure. It’s really two sea stacks, one with an arch, and many of their nooks and crannies become clearer upon closer inspection. Indeed, if you were millions of years old, you’d need lots of botox as well.The stranger truth about the geology of the formation, however, is that it was likely (according to Seaside geologist Tom Horning) the same oddball lava action that created Cannon Beach's famed Haystack Rock to the north: the product of a mini-eruption, or re-eruption of a lava flow. The lava flow coming from the east was so massive that parts of it plunged into softer sediment, burned its way downwards, and then back up and out of the earth again in a kind of re-eruption. So like Cannon Beach’s photogenic formation, the Rockaway Beach one is likely the same kind of basalt rock from one of those gargantuan volcanic catastrophes. Later, it’s quite likely erosion took its toll on whatever shape the basalt originally was, and it was whittled into a giant sea stack with an arch in the middle. Eventually, that arch fell, leaving two rocks. Further on, erosion ate a hole in the southern rock of the formation. Eventually, it too will crumble and form a third rock.
Looking Down on Oceanside's Towering RocksThree massive sea stacks easily mark the location of Oceanside, the tiny town that doesn’t even have a gas station or a store. They are currently part of a national bird refuge, so designated early in the last century by President Theodore Roosevelt, but at one time the famed Three Arch Rocks was part of a fiery inferno that created the basalt cliffs you see of Maxwell Point and Cape Meares. It's likely they were a part of numerous eruptions that formed these cliffs.Whatever their history back in prehistoric times, when the Earth was a bubbling cauldron of nasty lava action, Three Arch Rocks are now simply lovely landmarks – and instantaneously recognizable ones, too. No matter where you are, they are imposing structures. No matter how far away, they clearly are towering and looming.But head to one secret spot above Oceanside and the whole view changes. Their shapes change. They seem almost insignificant in stature.Sometimes the Oregon coast is just a matter of perspective.
Nesting Spot Beneath Florence-Area CliffsThose famously dramatic cliffs just north of Florence and just south of Sea Lion Caves spell danger and awe at the same time, and the area is filled with sights that are especially photogenic. Nearby is the Heceta Head Lighthouse, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the entire world. Just below the cliffs, along the black stone-bordered viewpoints that dot these winding curves, massive waves crash with consistent intensity and might, even in calmer conditions.
Also just below, along oddly sloped outcroppings that jut from these cliffs, there are more precarious ledges near the crazed surf, where another world apart from Mankind exists. All kinds of wildlife loiters there, some 500 feet below, far from the intervention of annoying humans, allowed to sit and sun themselves in peace – next to an always raging sea.On some ledges carouse bundles of sea lions – different kinds, depending on the time of year. On others, there are huge flocks of birds, often several species. This is all well out of reach from the viewpoints and from humans, so seeing them this close takes much use of the zoom feature on your camera. Periodically, hungry pods of Orcas wander through here, circling for a bite to eat in one of the sea lions. This group of sea lions is not used to the Killer Whales, so they often don’t appear scared of them when they show up.
(Florence, Oregon) – At the front door to the south coast, and the back door to the central Oregon coast, upper Lane County is a varied mix of clandestine, even forbidden beaches, soaring rock structures, and beaches that are a blend of both (photo above: Ocean Beach Picnic Ground).There’s a 25-mile stretch of Highway 101 that meanders between Yachats and Florence, traipsing up and down gentle grades and the occasional not-so-gentle curve, with most of the way showing off dramatic ocean vistas.This drama is previewed just as you head south, out of Yachats, and a massive headland with a high viewpoint suddenly dominates the view. It doesn’t take long, and a few scary curves in the road later, you’re at that untamed view spot. It’s quite the plummet from here, down to crusty, basalt rocks that are walloped by humongous waves.
Continue down the road and you’ll discover spots like Strawberry Hill, which contains a bundle of boulders and odd rocky structures to amble around on, as well as a stretch of sand that contain more basalt formations, forming a kind of labyrinth of craggy spots and tide pools. Then, to one direction, this access seems to have its own bay, where sand and structures once again take center stage. The other direction features a long stretch of stone-covered beach that wanders on beyond the golden cliffs and out of sight, making it a bit of a mystery.
Ocean Beach Picnic Ground looks like it sits on a towering bluff, but it’s just the sign. Meander down this tiny road to a small parking area with a handful of benches, for – you guessed it – picnics by the sea. For many years, there was no official beach access as it had been washed away by massive tides. Now, it’s been rebuilt, and a stone stairway lets you down to the little bulb-shaped headland that has a curious dent in it (which serves as a place to get away from the wind). Even on really calm days, the ocean can create remarkable sights at the very tip of this promontory (seen at the photo at the top).
Stonefield Beach is indeed aptly named, as it is literally made up of a stone-covered beach; one with wispy, loose sands, however, that are a bit more sand dune-like at times. Just beyond this esoterically beautiful beach is a small river that flows out to sea, and another beach covered thick in large, polished rocks.
Not far from Ocean Beach Picnic Ground is the tiny stop of Tokatee Klootchman. Look to the north, and if you’re well versed in bad movies, you’ll recognize a house that was part of the set for a goofy horror film made in this area back in the 80’s. They also used Heceta Beach extensively as well as the nearby tunnel. But this house was the home to one of the characters, which was ravaged periodically by some menacing native spirit (which was never explained, but whatever). A ways south of Tokatee is a high bluff where dramatic views explode in front of you. Look to the south (below), and you’ll see the long, winding stretch of no man’s land filled with secret beaches you can’t access (except maybe by some of the lodgings perched on these cliffs). It’s about two miles of empty beaches and untouched territory until you get to Ocean Beach Picnic Ground. 
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