May 4, 2022 3:20 a.m.

After two years of limited operations, South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in Charleston has re-opened the doors of its Visitor Center – and is displaying a new exhibit in partnership with local Tribes.

Reserve Public Involvement Coordinator Deborah Rudd said the center has interpretive exhibits on coastal ecosystems, plants and animals, cultural history, and science. Rudd said it is now open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Restrooms for trail users, interpretive program attendees and visitors are open Mondays through Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Rudd said a fragment of a Native American canoe is now on display. The fragment, which washed out of a creek bed at Sunset Bay State Park in 2015, has been carefully preserved through a partnership between the Coquille Indian Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz and the Oregon Park and Recreation Department.

In addition to exploring the Visitor Center and various hiking trails around the South Slough Reserve, adults and children can take part in multiple events and classes scheduled in the coming months.

Learn more and register at: https://www.oregon.gov/dsl/SS/Pages/CommunityClassReg.aspx