Cape Meares Community Association (CMCA)
News & Current Events Page
Calendar of Events
Cape Meares Community Newsletter Click here to sign up for monthly email updates on community events, news and the Watershed Conservancy Project.
The CMCA uses the social media app MeWe to communicate neighbor-to-neighbor and to advertise CMCA event and meeting schedules. To use this tool, it is necessary that you either be a permanent resident or part-time resident of Cape Meares.
For information Email: Capemearesca@gmail.com
Barbara Bennett Community Center 5690 4th Street NW, Tillamook OR 97141
CMCA Board of Directors
- Beverly Stein, President
- John Harland, Secretary
- Donna Lehto, Assistant Secretary
- Sean S. Kohles PhD, Treasurer
- Aaron Cope, Assistant Treasurer
- Kathy Burke
- Simone Goldfeder
- Scott Gordon
- Randy Klobas
- Patti and Mike Smith, Community Center Managers
The Cape Meares Community Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation and is not organized for the private gain of any person. It shall exist in perpetuity for the benefit of the public.
CMCA Vision: a coherent expression of our shared values
a place where safety, security, adequate utility services and pedestrian friendly streets and byways exist.
a place where a quiet, natural, beach atmosphere is found on individually-owned properties, along the streets, and on public property.
a place where the environment and beauty of the natural setting is prized.
a village made up of private residences with NO commercial activity, respecting appropriate zoning and construction codes.
a place that has a community spirit and friendly atmosphere, while respecting individual privacy and rights, and the property of both residents and visitors.
a place where visitors and those involved in the rental of local properties respect and adhere to all applicable laws, policies, and community values.
a place that is committed to preserving its village feel and special qualities through seeking the opinions of its permanent and intermittent residents and conveying those opinions collectively and democratically to county and state agencies.
a place where the community has built resilience and prepared for emergencies.
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Purpose: how the Board helps the community realize its vision
a) actively support community projects of an educational, scientific, charitable or historic nature undertaken for the public benefit and to engage in any lawful activity permitted by IRS section 501(c)(3) organization and for which such corporations may be organized pursuant to Chapter 65 of the Oregon Revised Statutes.
b) promote ecologically sound stewardship of the community’s natural resources including acquiring property or interests in property by gift, purchase or otherwise, including conservation easements, and managing such property to conserve and protect it in perpetuity in accordance with the conservation values of stewardship and preservation of the Cape Meares community and its surrounding natural areas.
c) create a forum and a voice for the community with which to stay in communication with the local and state governments, particularly in regard to land management, conservation, and emergency services.
d) provide a cohesive center within the community where traditions may be celebrated, and individuals are brought together with neighbors to build and nourish supportive community bonds.
Mission: the Board’s filter for selecting and steering projects
⇒ How does this foster the community and/or to care for the place?
CMCA September 2023
Cape Meares, Oregon is a small residential coastal community a 15-minute drive from city of Tillamook, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tillamook Bay and features outstanding recreation and wildlife habitat values, with physical connections to the Cape Meares National Wildlife Refuge and Lighthouse, the Cape Meares Community Forest, the Oregon Coast Trail, and Lake Meares.
There are about 160 homes in the neighborhood, with 62 of them occupied by full-time residents. Tillamook County reports in 2021 that 13% of homes in Cape Meares are licensed as short-term rentals. There are no commercial businesses in Cape Meares. The community joined the Oceanside Water District in 1995. Coleman Creek is the sole source of water for the people of Cape Meares and the primary source water that flows into the wetlands and Cape Meares Lake. Cape Meares has no sewer system and relies on septic tanks. Tillamook County maintains the roads in Cape Meares. Tillamook Fire District has a station house on 8th Street NW in Cape Meares and is maintained by the Cape Meares team of Tillamook Volunteer firefighters.
The CMCA owns and manages for conservation 106+ acres of the Cape Meares Community Forest, a small beachfront wetland parcel, and the Barbara Bennett Community Center in the historic Bayocean Schoolhouse.
A major focus of the community is emergency preparedness to provide food, medical care, and housing during what could be an extended period of time cut off from assistance from the outside in the case of an earthquake and/or tsunami. The CMCA developed an Emergency Management Plan and has been implementing that plan with grant funding, charitable donations, and countless hours of volunteer labor.
Much of the community is in the tsunami inundation zone and the land is vulnerable to landslides. Bayocean Road is the only route in and out of Cape Meares until the Loop Road that links Cape Meares to Oceanside is repaired (New Three Capes Scenic Loop under construction 2023).
Learn about the fascinating history of Bayocean City and the connections to Cape Meares https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-bayocean-ghost-town-resort-tillamook-bay/