The Oregon Beach Bill (House Bill 1601, 1967) was a piece of landmark legislation in the U.S. state of Oregon , passed by the 1967 session of the Oregon Legislature . It established public ownership of land along the Oregon Coast from the water up to sixteen vertical feet above the low tide mark.
17-541: After Oregon achieved statehood in 1859, the completion of railroads through the Coast Range mountains encouraged land development along the ocean shore. In 1874, the Oregon State Land Board began selling public tidelands to private landowners. Resorts grew up around the beaches at Seaside , Newport , and Rockaway , and the newly completed railroads brought tourists from the population centers of
34-451: A lake with no outflows. List is of rivers that flow into Carter Lake, a lake with no outflows. List is of rivers that flow into Cleawox Lake , a lake with no outflows. List is of rivers that flow into Hart Lake , a lake with no outflows. Order of mouths is alphabetical while tributary structures are of increasing distance from the mouth. List is of rivers that flow into Lake Abert , a lake with no outflows. Order of tributary structure
51-460: A trust fund for support and maintenance of public schools . 500,000 acres (2,000 km ) had previously been allowed to Oregon by an 1841 act of Congress , and 5% of all proceeds from the sale of federal land. The Board was established to manage these and other assets accruing to the Fund. In 1968, The State Land Board went before the U.S. Supreme Court to defend escheating an inheritance because
68-525: Is of increasing distance from the mouth. List is of rivers that flow into Lake Marie , a lake with no outflows. List is of rivers that flow into Malheur Lake , a lake with no outflows. Order of mouths is alphabetical while tributary structures are of increasing distance from the mouth. List is of rivers in Oregon that drain into Nevada's Quinn River , which drains into the Quinn River Sink in
85-469: The Willamette Valley for weekend vacations. By 1901, about 23 miles (37 km) of tideland had been sold. In 1911, governor Oswald West was elected on the promise to reclaim Oregon's beaches as public land. The legislature favored the privatization of these lands, but West was able to make an argument for public ownership based on the need for transportation. The 1913 legislature declared
102-489: The management of lands under state ownership, as its name implies. Unlike most other department-level state agencies, it is not headed by a sole elected official, but is the administrative arm of the Oregon State Land Board . Although established by the Constitution , subsequent statutes have added to its duties and authority, and include some provisions relating to its conduct. In addition to managing state-owned lands,
119-606: The Americas and a list of Pacific Ocean coast rivers of the Americas are also available, as is a list of Oregon lakes . List order is north to south if draining into the Pacific Ocean . Tributary order is by increasing distance from the mouth of the river they feed. → North Fork Smith River (originates in Oregon and drains into Smith River in California) List is of rivers that flow into Alvord Lake ,
136-707: The Board through the Department is responsible for the Common School Fund , off-shore lands and coastal estuarine tidelands, submerged and submersible lands of the navigable waterways , unclaimed property, estates with no heirs , and additional functions assigned by the Oregon Legislative Assembly from time to time. The Board decides cases, adopts rules, issues policy statements, and approves DSL recommendations. The State Land Board
153-487: The bill, which features the legislators involved in creating the bill, journalists who covered its development in 1967, and archival footage of Oregon beach history. In 2017, Oregon celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Beach Bill's passing. Oregon State Land Board The Department of State Lands (DSL) , one of the oldest agencies of government of the U.S. state of Oregon , is principally responsible for
170-560: The entire length of the ocean shore from Washington to California as a state highway. Legislators also created the State Highway Commission , which began the construction of Highway 101 . The Parks and Recreation Department , a branch of the highway commission, bought land for 36 state parks along the coastal highway, an average of one every 10 miles (16 km). With the completion of the highway and parks system, coastal tourism skyrocketed. Oregon's public lands claim
187-837: The heirs lived in East Germany which would not reciprocate and provide an inheritance to American heirs if the situation were reversed. In Zschernig v. Miller , the court found the law unconstitutional because of "intrusion by the State into the field of foreign affairs which the Constitution entrusts to the President and the Congress." The State Land Board, composed of the Governor , Secretary of State , and Treasurer , has ultimate constitutional and statutory responsibility for
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#1732772928082204-480: The legislature. In response, Republican Governor Tom McCall staged a dramatic media event on May 13, 1967, flying two helicopters to the beach with a team of surveyors and scientists. The ensuing media coverage resulted in overwhelming public demand for the bill. The bill was passed by the legislature in June and signed by McCall on July 6, 1967. The Beach Bill declares that all "wet sand" within sixteen vertical feet of
221-620: The low tide line belongs to the state of Oregon. In addition, it recognizes public easements of all beach areas up to the line of vegetation, regardless of underlying property rights. The public has "free and uninterrupted use of the beaches," and property owners are required to seek state permits for building and other uses of the ocean shore. While some parts of the beach remain privately owned, state and federal courts have upheld Oregon’s right to regulate development of those lands and preserve public access. In 2013, OPB released an episode of their The Oregon Experience television docu-series on
238-467: The matters within the purview of the Department. It sets the policies, decides cases and adopts rules, and DSL recommendations are subject to Board approval. The Department of Public Lands' chief administrator is a Director appointed by the State Land Board. The Director manages the day-to-day affairs of the agency and serves at the will of the Board. The current director is Vicki Walker, who
255-424: Was appointed under the administration of Governor Kate Brown in 2018. List of Oregon rivers This is a partial listing of rivers in the state of Oregon , United States . This list of Oregon rivers is organized alphabetically and by tributary structure. The list may also include streams known as creeks, brooks, forks, branches and prongs, as well as sloughs and channels. A list of rivers of
272-563: Was challenged in 1966, when Cannon Beach motel owner William Hay fenced some dry sands above the high tide line and reserved it for private use. After citizens complained to the state government, state legislators put forward the Oregon Beach Bill, modeled on the Texas Open Beaches Act . Conservative Republicans and coastal developers called the bill a threat to private property rights , and it nearly died in
289-402: Was established in 1859 as the "Board of Commissioners for the sale of school, and University lands, and for the investment of the funds arising therefrom." It has been composed of the same three constitutional officers from its inception. Upon Oregon's admission to the union , the federal government ceded to the state two sections of each township to generate revenues for a Common School Fund,
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