The View From Cascade Head: Lessons for the Biosphere from the Oregon Coast

by Bruce Byers

Cascade Head, on the Oregon Coast between Lincoln City and Neskowin, has stunning ocean views, abundant recreational opportunities, and a rich history of ecological research and conservation. Its landscape and seascape support a multitude of species, some of which are threatened, such as the Oregon silverspot butterfly, spotted owl, and coho salmon. In The View from Cascade Head, Bruce Byers tells the fascinating story of this special place and the people who have worked to protect it. Drawing from his lifelong relationship with the Oregon Coast and recent experience living and working at Cascade Head, Byers weaves together personal observations, ecological science, and the history and philosophy of nature conservation in a series of interconnected essays.

Cascade Head is Oregon’s only biosphere reserve, part of the international network of biosphere reserves coordinated by UNESCO. Biosphere reserves around the world are laboratories for understanding how humans affect ecosystems and models for how we can heal the human-nature relationship.

The View from Cascade Head illustrates three main the actions and efforts of committed individuals can make a difference; ecological mysteries still abound despite decades of scientific research; and our worldviews—how we think about our place in nature—shape our individual and collective effect on the ecosystems we inhabit. Byers helps us understand how these lessons apply everywhere and can lead us toward a more sustainable relationship with our home planet.

216 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2020

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to Bruce Byers on Zoom as he reviewed his book. Cascade Head is the only Biosphere in Oregon and Mr. Byers knows about it intimately. He has spent a great deal of time as a scientist exploring the Oregon Coast. His essays are about salmon and the Salmon River estuary; forest preservation, art and ecology; marshes and Beavers. Having visited 17 biospheres around the world, he speaks with authority and passion. Cascade Head is inhabited by spruce, hemlock and a diverse population of animals. The Nature Conservancy owns part of it and the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology is part of its history and landscape.

[Miki Amos · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an Oregon Coast resident, this book was fascinating. It’s great to read about the specific history and ecology of the Oregon Coast. I really appreciated the references to the indigenous cultures and how these conservation problems we now confront are a result of colonization. If you have any particular interest in the Oregon Coast, this is the book for you.