Sea otters once thrived along Oregon’s coast for thousands of years, shaping healthy kelp forests and vibrant marine ecosystems. But after being hunted to local extinction during the maritime fur trade, Oregon’s coastline lost one of its most important keystone species - and the ocean has felt the impact ever since. Now, you can help change that story.

The Elakha Alliance is leading the effort to restore sea otters to Oregon’s coast, and We Otter Bring Them Back is back for its second year as a month-long fundraising and social media campaign running June 8th–July 6th, 2026!

By becoming an Otter Advocate, you’ll help raise awareness and critical funds to support sea otter restoration, community outreach, education, and advocacy efforts across Oregon. Whether you fundraise, donate, share posts online, or simply help spread the word, you become part of a growing movement working to restore balance to our coastal ecosystems.

🌊 Why Sea Otters Matter

Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning they play a critical role in keeping marine ecosystems healthy. By feeding on sea urchins, sea otters help kelp forests thrive - creating habitat for fish and wildlife, increasing biodiversity, supporting coastal resilience, and even helping capture carbon. Bringing sea otters back means bringing life back to Oregon’s nearshore waters.

🎉 Become an Otter Advocate

Register today to join the campaign and receive a limited-edition We Otter Bring Them Back campaign t-shirt with your registration donation! Adult short sleeve, long sleeve, and youth options are available. View shirt sizing information here.

Once registered, you’ll create your own Givebutter fundraising page to share with friends, family, coworkers, and fellow ocean lovers. Every Otter Advocate helps build momentum for this important cause.

📸 Spread The Message

Take your campaign shirt to the coast or anywhere you love, snap photos with friends and family, share why you care about sea otters, and help spread awareness on social media using #WeOtterBringThemBack and tagging @ElakhaAlliance.

🎯 Our 2026 Goal: $12,000

Together, we’re working to raise $12,000 to support the continued effort to bring sea otters back to Oregon. Every dollar raised helps advance research, outreach, education, and advocacy that move this vision closer to reality.

This is more than a fundraiser - it’s a movement to restore an entire ecosystem.

As a thank-you for your incredible support, we’re offering special prizes for our top Otter Advocates!

🏆 Top Fundraiser – Awarded to the advocate who raises the most funds in the We Otter Bring Them Back campaign.
💙 Community Champion – Given to the advocate with the highest number of individual donors contributing to their campaign page.
📸 Social Media Savvy - Awarded to the individual who had the most creative social media campaign.

Every effort counts, and this is your chance to make a big splash for sea otter recovery - plus, win some awesome rewards!

Questions? Check out our FAQ Page or email Katie@ElakhaAlliance.org

We Otter Bring Them Back 2026

Help restore sea otters back to their native waters along the Oregon coast!