Mile 259 - Nestucca Spit State Park, Kiwanda Beach - June 17, 2007

Report Details

The survey was done on Fathers Day. So, our mile being at Bob Straub State Park, the number of people was much larger (42) than normal. The beach and foredune were pretty clean and unremarkable. Sand was building up on the beach as it normally does in the summer.

Conditions

Temperature: 55 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: NW. Tide Level: 0.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 42. Number of dogs: 7. Walking or running: 12. Playing in sand: 4. Sitting: 20. Other Activities: 6 in vehicles. Lots of other tracks.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 12. Cars/trucks on beach, allowed: 1. ATVs/OHVs on beach, allowed: 1.

Notable Wildlife

A fair number of gulls and a couple of cormorants.

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 2. 1 common murre, 1 unknown [not enough left to identify].

Driftline Content

Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt). Beach was pretty clean.

Man-made Modifications

No human activity. Sand was building up on the beach as it normally does in the summer.

Actions & Comments

This was a pretty dull survey. The number of people was much larger than usual--it was Fathers Day. As usual, most stayed right around the access path [our mile includes the main access at Bob Straub State Park and is mostly along the Park]. There must have been a number of first-timers, because the three cars we saw leaving the parking lot while we were on the lot left going the wrong way on the one-way drive. Admittedly, the markings are faint and there are no one-way signs. But we don't think it is much of a safety hazard because visibility is pretty good and the traffic is not what you would call heavy.