September 11, 2021

Number of people: 12. Number of dogs: 1. Walking or running: 6. Sitting: 1. Surfing: 3. Other Activities: This is an approximate number, I was on the mile for close to an hour, many people stay on the beach for maybe 30 minutes, so people come, people go. There may have been more people (mostly surfers) by the time I left.. I haven't visited this mile in over a year. I observed many signs of a small community overwhelmed by tourists: there were multiple "slow" and "slow down!" signs along the main street leading to the beach accesses & the scenic overlook (Devil's Punchbowl). There were flexible stanchions (if that's the correct term) placed at close intervals about 30' on either side of the stairway access to the beach, across from one of the state park parking lots. When I arrived around 7:35 or 7:38 am, there were two other cars in the lot. When I left, there were perhaps 2 empty spaces, all the other 20 or so were full. I did not check the other parking lot--it attracts RV, 5th wheels that have difficulty fitting into the lot (I.e., sticking out so far that traffic in & out of the lot is blocked) closer to the park's restrooms & surfer showers. There was also a monitor on the street that showed the speed (alleged) the vehicle was traveling. The speed limit is 25 mph, on my way back to the lot I observed a vehicle that appeared to be traveling at close to 40 mph. Further east on this street, there were no parking signs posted. My guess is that tourists/surfers have been parking all along that street when available on-street & off street parking has filled up. Probably state parks will turn the grassy area adjacent to the restrooms into additional paved parking as who needs green space? There were not many people on the beach, I saw more on the other side of the creek at Beverly Beach state park (just south of the southern end of my mile). I saw a "full" sign for the Beverly Beach campground on 101. There were also many RVs parked along 101 between Newport & Otter Rock, in beach access parking lots and anywhere there was sufficient pullover space on the west side of 101.

Fire

Apparent violations: I saw & photographed 5 fire sites. At least two appeared to have been used recently, there was no drifts of sand over the firewood, and the black/burned areas of the firewood looked pretty fresh. No smouldering or wisps of smoke were noted. I destroyed one of the fire sites by tossing all the firewood into a nearby creek flowing over the sand to the ocean. The other 3 looked as though they'd been used within the last couple of months. Every one of the fire sites was within 30' (3 were much closer) to the bluff, and often vegetation. I did not see much litter..

Cars/trucks parking: 20.

Seaweeds and seagrass, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Wood pieces. I saw few to no plastic bits in the drift lines. I did see a pair of flipflops & a two leash retractable gizmo. Soaked, sandy, & in the driftline. The driftlines were sparse compared to my home beach, from Yaquina Head north to Moolack Beach.

A culvert under 101 continues to deteriorate due to lack of maintenance. In prior mile reports I observed & noted how at least one of the concrete slabs that once supported the culvert opening onto the beach, have fallen down or over. The last time I visited the mile, I noted all the drift logs, and some vegetation blocking the culvert's drainage area as well as the opening to the beach. The vegetation/brush I noticed last time is still there and looked pretty green. ODOT or whoever is responsible has failed to maintain this culvert and its channel/drainage area for at least 3 years. In addition, the bluff through which a drain pipe (another culvert I assume) runs (under the roadbed of highway 101) appears to have receded further. This exposes more of the pipe. When it rains, the water draining out the pipe further erodes the bluff, including the part supporting the pipe. In the past, I've observed people wearing a path to the beach via that bluff, or further accelerating bluff erosion (not far north of Johnson Creek/Beverly Beach, if I've remembered the creek name correctly).

Newly exposed roots/trees falling, Visible retreat of solid bluff. There is ongoing erosion of the bluffs on this mile. I observed mulitiple small slides as well as ongoing weathering of any exposed "rock". There were mutiple small slides, particularly where strata was exposed in steep vertical bluffs. The top of the bluff is treed, those trees are gradually disappearing (fall over, slide down the bluff) that's over a 20-30 year period. Some parts of the bluff top are deeply incised, possibly initially by rain, the incised area further widened/deepened by wind-produced erosion. These bluffs generally have mud/clay stone layers that erode/fall apart pretty easily (weather) unless they' vegetated and these have stable vegetation only at the top. I again noticed that driftlog distribution seems to have moved south.

What action should I take?    Talk to gods of the ocean, rain and wind?   Some of the erosion I see has been accelerated by people creating "paths" down to the beach from wherever they park their vehicles.    Their work is obvious towards the south end of the mile and in various locations on my home beach in north Newport.