CANNON BEACH — Melissa Keyser’s passion for the environment has her out on the beach and coordinating tasks from her office as the Haystack Rock Awareness Program’s leader.

She began as the interim coordinator in July, after Samantha Furber left for graduate school, then became the permanent coordinator in September.

“I love working for this program. Environmental stewardship is what I’ve always wanted to do. So to find a program that essentially focuses on environmental stewardship is just fantastic,” she said. “It’s really amazing when you actually enjoy going to work everyday.”

The Haystack Rock Awareness Program’s mission is to protect the intertidal and bird ecology of Haystack Rock’s marine garden and Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

As coordinator, Keyser said goals include more outreach through social media outlets and more partnerships with schools and other environmental agencies. The new Cape Falcon Marine Reserve is one group she would like the Haystack Rock Awareness Program to work closely with.

She and the program’s new Volunteer Coordinator Kelsey Brown and Education Coordinator Lisa Habecker are also working to extend beach hours.

Keyser’s largest long-term goal is an interpretive center where the program could host large school groups, put on education programs and offer touch tanks; ideal for rainy days and those who can’t make it down the rock.

“There’s so many possibilities for it,” she said.

It will take some work. But Keyser said she has great co-workers who love what they do. She also enjoys working with the Friends of Haystack Rock and the volunteers who help the program run smoothly.

Keyser was the Haystack Rock Awareness Program’s education coordinator before she became the program coordinator. She’s also the part-time volunteer coordinator for CHIP-in with the Astoria Parks Department.

Born in California and raised in Beaverton, she is a 2010 graduate of Portland State University with degrees in environmental studies and geography.

She and her husband, Matt, moved to the area from Portland in March 2014. Her husband is from Astoria, so they had explored the area before moving.

“I fell in love with it the first time I visited,” Keyser said.

They immediately decided it was the city where they someday wanted to retire.

But then Matt Keyser got a job transfer to the area, and Melissa Keyser began volunteering “everywhere I could,” with groups like SOLVE and at elementary schools.

Keyser gained experience and applied for her first Haystack Rock Awareness Program position when she saw it listed in a Cannon Beach Gazette article.

Now she and her family, including 2-year-old daughter Juno and 7-year-old son Olin enjoy the many activities the area has to offer.

Keyser said it’s fun to interact with visitors. She enjoys taking the information she’s learned and sharing it with them. And she looks forward to continuing work at her “dream job.”