TILLAMOOK The Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery on Netarts Bay will hold free tours at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday. Tours will start from Blue Heron French Cheese Company, 2001 Blue Heron Drive in Tillamook. A free shuttle service will be provided by Tillamook EcoAdventures LLC, and will leave from Blue Heron at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The estimated duration of the tour, including travel, is two hours.

The oyster hatchery is not normally open to the public and the tours are a rare opportunity to learn about the facility, the state of the art scientific research going on at the hatchery and the issues faced by the shellfish industries, and wild shellfish along the Pacific Northwest.

This tour is supported by Oregon Sea Grant, Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery, Netarts Bay Watershed, Estuary, Beach and Sea (WEBS) Advisory Committee, Tillamook Estuaries Partnership and Tillamook EcoAdventures LLC.

Each tour can accommodate approximately 11 people. Any remaining slots will be filled first come, first served, the day of the tour. Preregistering is encouraged. To register, email Tilla-mookOysterTours@gmail. com or call 541-231-8041.