Mile 121 - Gregory Point, Lighthouse Beach, Mussel Reef - December 22, 2011

Report Details

A peaceful and beautiful evening with a calm sea. Shells, kelp/algae, wood pieces, plastic and Styrofoam in driftline. Landslides with visible retreat of the bluff exposing tree roots. High tides at base of bluff. Good infill of sand. A portion of a dock releasing Styrofoam on the beach with people removing bags of the stuff. Seven people on the beach walking (6) or collecting mussels (1).

Conditions

Temperature: 47 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: 1.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 7. Number of dogs: 3. Walking or running: 6. Other Activities: collecting mussels.

Concerns

Disturbances: Shorebirds moving in response to humans/dogs

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 4.

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 1. Arctic Tern?

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

1 Harbor Seal

Driftline Content

Seaweeds and seagrass, Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Shells, Styrofoam, Wood pieces.

Natural Changes

Newly exposed roots/trees falling, Visible retreat of solid bluff, Landslides/major boulder falls.

Actions & Comments

Peaceful, beautiful evening. Sea and winds calm. Good infill of sand. Only one small area of erosion about four houses north of the trail. Obvious that high tides are coming all the way up to cliff base.Concern over what appears to be part of a dock or a box lined with Styrofoam that is breaking up and spreading styrafoam all over the beach. Other people took out bags of the stuff. Will call and see if removal is possible.