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MILE 218 on 8/1/12   -   BEACHBUM LOCATION Lincoln  •  Agate Beach, State Wayside, Little Creek CONDITIONS Wednesday 11:00 AM  •  Sunny  •  60° F  •  Wind: Moderate from the N  •  Tide: 7.65 ft HUMANS People: 200  •  Dogs: 3 ACTIVITIES Walking/running: 200 CONCERNS DISTURBANCES Shorebirds moving in response to humans/dogs VEHICLES Cars/Trucks parking: 100  •  ATVs/OHVs parking: 0  •  RVs/Buses parking: 10  •  Cars/Trucks on beach, allowed: 12 ACTIV.COMMENTS Crews and vehicles are beginning the work of removing the Japanese dock. NOTABLE WILDLIFE Western gulls, turkey vultures DEAD BIRDS STRANDED FISH & INVERTS DRIFTLINE Shells  •  Animal casings  •  Kelp/Algae  •  Small rocks  •  Wood pieces  •  Plastic pellets  •  Land-based debris NEW DEVELOPMENT Temporary road construction MODIFICATIONS Dune Modification  •  Sand removal NATURAL CHANGES COMMENTS SUMMARY After two months of unprecedented activity and public pressure on Mile 218, Agate Beach is expected to return to some semblance of normalcy by early next week. Ever since the arrival of the large concrete-and-rebar Japanese dock at the high tide line on June 4th, tens (maybe hundreds) of thousands of visitors have trekked the quarter mile or so from the nearest wayside to view the remnant of the March 2011 tsunami in Japan. On Monday (July 30th), transformation of the beach ramped-up as Ballard Diving and Salvage built a temporary, wooden-timber and steel-plate road across the dunes out to the hard sand to accommodate the trucks which will be hauling the dock away in pieces after it is broken up for removal. An enormous lifting crane is situated on the beach near the dock. Ballard also constructed a temporary footbridge across Big Creek for visitors to access the beach; for the duration of the removal project the normal Agate Beach Wayside access point is closed. And, the beach area around the dock itself has been cordoned off. As part of Ballard’s contract with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, the beach must be returned to its pre-project state when the company is through removing the dock. Most of the pieces will be hauled away for disposal, but one chunk from the dock’s southeast corner has been donated to the City of Newport to become the centerpiece of a tsunami memorial in the town’s Japanese sister-city park. Another piece will become part of the tsunami exhibit at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center. All in all, Mile 218 does not appear to have sustained any permanent damage from the onslaught of visitors, media, photo-ops and removal operations. However, next week I’ll file a report on exactly how well Ballard Diving and Salvage performed its post-project beach restoration. OBSERVER Beachbum EMAIL   •  REPORT PUBLISHED 8/3/12 5:19 PM PHOTOS 1 Footbridge Description: Temporary footbridge across Big Creek in front of Agate Beach State Park Date: 08/01/2012 2 Wooden Road Description: Temporary wooden timber approach road over small unnamed stream just west of Agate Beach Wayside Date: 08/01/2012 3 Wooden Road 2 Description: Main wooden timber road built partway across the dunes west of Agate Beach Wayside Date: 08/01/2012 4 Steel Road Description: Final 100 yards of temporary road is constructed of large steel plates Date: 08/01/2012 5 Project Overview Description: An overview of the dock removal project equipment (looking north along Agate Beach) Date: 08/01/2012 6 Hoisting Crane Description: The enormous crane being used to lift pieces of dock onto flatbed semi trucks Date: 08/01/2012 7 Crane Truck Description: This large truck was used to move the lifting crane up the beach to the dock removal site Date: 08/01/2012 8 The Dock Description: Ballard Diving and Salvage workers atop the Japanese dock preparing for the cut-up process to begin Date: 08/01/2012 9 Ballard Diving and Salvage Headquarters Description: This trailer is being used to haul smaller equipment to the dock removal project site Date: 08/01/2012 PRINTER-FRIENDLY ©2013 Oregon Shores •  CONTACT US