Library to host sea otters program

ROSEBURG, Ore. – The Umpqua Valley Audubon Society and Roseburg Public Library invite the community to a presentation about sea otters at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11.

Presenter Kyle Motley, coastal community coordinator of the Elakha Alliance, will discuss the group’s efforts to return the iconic and once abundant sea otter to the Oregon coast.

According to Motley, fur traders of the 18th and 19th centuries wiped out the sea otter along most of the Pacific West Coast, including Oregon. Russian trappers valued the animals’ pelts so much they referred to the pelts as “soft gold.”

The Elakha Alliance, which derives its name from the Chinook trading language word for sea otter, is a consortium of tribal, conservation and nonprofit leaders founded in 1999 that is working to promote a healthier and more resilient marine environment. Learn more on the group’s website at www.elakhaalliance.org.

The program, which will be held at the library located at 1409 NE Diamond Lake Blvd., is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Roseburg Public Library staff at 541-492-7050 or library@cityofroseburg.org.