Visitor Center

There are many ways to get involved in Quests:

• Go on a Quest - Obtain the book of directions or download a sample Quest and head outside to explore.
• Create a Quest - Attend a Quest-building workshop to find out how you can help youth and adults connect with a community through the making of Quests.
• Volunteer - We are always looking for people who can help monitor Quest boxes and clues. Consider adopting a Quest near you.

Go On a Quest

Head Outside Today

To do a self-guided Quest, all you need is a set of directions, a pencil and a sense of adventure!

Quest Books full of directions are published and distributed every two years. The new book, The Oregon Coast Quests Book, 2017-2018 Edition, is available for only $10. This 222-page, spiral bound guide has a bright ORANGE paper cover, and contains maps and directions for 24 Quests in five Oregon counties. The book became available in July 2017. More details

Find a bookseller near you

Download a Sample Quest

Proceeds from book sales support the Oregon Coast Quests program.

Take Your Class on a Quest

• Teachers:  Are you planning to Quest with your students? Download "Tips for Questing with School Groups" [PDF]
   
• Field Trip Support: During the 2017/18 school year, Oregon Coast Quests has funding available to reimburse bus and substitute expenses for field trips in which students test newly-developed Tsunami Quests. New Quests to test are now available in Charleston and Bandon, and will soon be available in Warrenton and Astoria. Contact us to find out more: Email
   

June 6, 2012: "We had a GREAT time yesterday!!!!
The kids learned a lot and the weather was perfect.
I will definitely do these again [with my class] next year."
- 3rd grade teacher 

• Philanthropists: Donate Quest Books to a classroom! After the students complete their Questing field trip, provide them with the guidebooks that will take them outside with their families all summer long and beyond! Email us for more information.

Create a Quest

Quest-Building Workshops

If you or your group would like to build your own Quest, consider attending a Quest-building workshop for guidance. Workshops and presentations give participants information on the history and philosophy of Questing, and activities to help you get started making local Quests. 

UPCOMING WORKSHOP: April 13, 2018 in Florence - Download a flyer

To set up a Quest-building workshop in your area, please contact us. Tailored on-site workshops, curriculum support and guided Quest excursions are also available.

Tsunami Education Project

In February 2016, Oregon Coast Quests launched a new education project aimed at improving coastal community resiliency to earthquake and tsunami hazards. Formal and informal educators, state parks personnel, university researchers and emergency management experts have been participating in day-long Tsunami Quests Workshops in various areas throughout the coast. Through presentations, discussions and hands-on activities, participants learned about local tsunami hazards, site-specific evacuation recommendations, and how to help students share these public safety messages through new "Tsunami Quests." This engaging learning activity will not only inform the public about tsunami safety at Quest sites, but will also support a cultural shift toward increased public awareness of tsunami risk and response at all coastal locations.

Following the first workshop, 120 7^th graders from Newport created the HMSC Tsunami Quest, which shares information about tsunami safety and helps participants practice walking an evacuation route. This new Quest begins at the front doors of the Sea Grant-operated Hatfield Marine Science Center Visitor Center, which is located in a tsunami inundation zone and attracts 150,000 visitors annually.  Read more. The directions for the HMSC Tsunami Quest are in the 2017-18 Quest Book, or you can download them here

2018 OPPORTUNITY: Test a New Tsunami Quest with Students!

The following quote comes from a parent chaperone who helped 5th graders test the new HMSC Tsunami Quest in May 2016 while 7th-grade Quest-builders observed them:

"The whole idea was awesome - having 7th graders create it, learning about the threat of Tsunami and what to do, and then the 5th graders trying it out while 7th graders observed. The 7th graders in my group were all taking notes throughout the quest. Even though it seems like we talk about a Tsunami event a lot, our 5th grade group knew very little about what to do in an event and hadn’t thought about it more than just the event itself - not what it would be like after. So the entire time we talked about different scenarios (e.g. if you were injured, not at home or school, structures gone, supplies, etc.) It was a great experience all around!"

Volunteer

We are seeking volunteer individuals and groups who would be interested in helping create and maintain future Oregon Coast Quests. You could help by committing to periodically check a Quest in your area to make sure the clues and box are in good order. Or, if your group is interested in creating a Quest for possible inclusion in a future Quest Book, Oregon Coast Quests can help you get started.

"I would love to be a monitor for the quests as it would give us opportunity/accountability to walk in the woods this winter."

- Angie Wright
Otis, OR

For information, contact:

Cait Goodwin
Oregon Coast Quest Coordinator
2030 SE Marine Science Dr
Newport, OR 97365
541-961-0968
Cait.Goodwin@oregonstate.edu

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