Cape Arago

Click here for Long-Term trends

Click here for Biodiversity Survey findings

Cape Arago is located in Oregon, within Cape Arago State Park. The site can be accessed via a trail from a parking lot above, and a handful of people are typically seen on the bench or surrounding areas. A portion of this site has also become an important sea lion haul-out in recent years, which has lead to substantial changes in the intertidal community. This moderately sloping site consists of moderately uneven terrain, containing few cracks and folds.

Cape Arago is dominated by consolidated bedrock, and the area surrounding the site is comprised of a mixture of consolidated bedrock, boulder fields, and sandy beach. The primary coastal orientation of this site is west/northwest.

Long-Term Monitoring Surveys at Cape Arago were established in 2000 and are done by University of California Santa Cruz.  Long-Term monitoring surveys currently target the following species: Chthamalus/Balanus (Acorn Barnacles), Mytilus (California Mussel), Fucus (Northern Rockweed), Pelvetiopsis (Dwarf Rockweed), Endocladia (Turfweed), Phyllospadix (Surfgrass), and Pisaster (Ochre Star).  Click here to view Long-Term trends at this site.

Biodiversity Surveys were done by University of California Santa Cruz in 2001, 2005, 2013, 2019, and 2023. The Biodiversity Survey grid encompasses two sections that are approximately 9 meters (along shore) x 10 meters (seaward), and 18 meters (along shore) x 20 meters (seaward). Click here to view Biodiversity Survey findings at this site.

For more information about Cape Arago, please contact Pete Raimondi (raimondi@ucsc.edu).