Charleston Marine Life Center

06/13/2026

Storytime at the CMLC! The CMLC and Coos Bay Library invite little ones (5yrs and younger) and their adults to the CMLC for ocean-themed stories, rhymes, and songs on Wednesday, June 17th, at 10am. Free event. Hora del cuento. Cuentos, rimas y canciones de temática marina para niños pequeños. Gratis.

06/09/2026

06/05/2026

Celebrate World Ocean Day with us (two days early) on Saturday, June 6th. Join us for a day of celebrating the ocean! Become a deep-sea explorer and take a larval quest to find the babies of deep-sea animals. Add your favorite animal or a statement of thanks to our ocean mural. Relax with jellies and color a mandala. Immerse yourself in the wonder of the ocean! Video: T Mace, CMLC Crystal Jellies

05/30/2026

Do you ever lick your plate? California Sea Cucumbers, 𝘈𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴, usually feed by moving their tentacles through the sediment to snag small bits of food. Sometimes, however, they sweep their tentacles through the water to capture plankton and other small particles. In this timelapse video, one of ours is doing the equivalent of "licking" the tank wall. Watch how the feeding tentacles move from the wall into the mouth. Despite the name, these cucumbers are found from Alaska to Mexico. Video: TMace

05/16/2026

Come find us today, Saturday May 16th, at the Mayfly Festival! Mingus Park, 11am-3pm. Together with South Slough Reserve we have a fish printing booth. Pick your (rubber) fish and create your masterpiece! 😊

05/16/2026

Today, OIMB student and CMLC volunteer Amaya Kelly captured this cute video of our Pacific Red Octopus, Sq**rt, tentatively exploring. Sq**rt is spending more and more time out and about—sometimes moving like a rock on little feet, sometimes jetting, and sometimes stretching out.

05/09/2026

Today's the day---Happy Birthday to Us! Come join us with a free day at the CMLC 11am-5pm, and free boat tours of UO's R/V Megalopa and the Western Flyer (Charleston's B dock, noon-4pm). Saturday, May 9th.

05/08/2026

It’s seal pupping season. Here’s a cutie getting a swim lesson from mom in the Charleston Marina. If you see a pup alone on a beach, please leave it alone and keep pets away. Mom has likely parked the young one on the beach while she’s off catching food. She’ll be back. Video: Trish Mace

04/26/2026

Tonight, April 26th, 6pm at 7 Devils Brewery. See you there!

04/24/2026

We're turning 10 in May and we hope you'll help us celebrate! May 9th will be a fun day in Charleston with free admission to the CMLC and free tours of UO's research vessel, the R/V Megalopa. Joining the party is the Western Flyer -- the historic vessel made famous by John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts, and community partners showing off their work (South Slough Reserve, Oregon Sea Grant, U.S. Coast Guard, and more). Let's celebrate together--10 years of community support, school programs, community events, and ongoing learning about our beautiful and special coastal home!