Report Details

Busy day on mile 289 due to Air Force training. Sand has built up during the summer. The normal pattern is for the winter storms to scour away most of it. But since I have lived nearby, the tip of Bayocean Spit is showing no sign of erosion. Sand seems to be building.

Conditions

Temperature: 64 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: NW. Tide Level: 3.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 22. Number of dogs: 1. Walking or running: 2. Other Activities: survival training USAF. there were about 10 official vehicles and several private vehicles on the emergency road on the bay side of Tillamook spit. All related to USAF training.

Concerns

Apparent violations: none.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 1.

Notable Wildlife

heavy wrack present. lots of sea grass and other stuff intertwined with it. very few birds were present.

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 6. 4 murres and 2 gulls. The beach is quite wide and this wasn't a thorough search.

Driftline Content

Seaweeds and seagrass, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Shells, Small rocks, Styrofoam, Wood pieces. nothing very large

Actions & Comments

Mile 289 is usually very quiet, but twice a year the Air Force holds survival training on Bayocean Spit. They are camped on the spit by Crab Harbor. Today they seemed to be swimming or paddling into shore from two 47 foot motor lifeboats from Coast Guard Tillamook Bay. Helicopters were used yesterday in some training well off shore.They stay for about a week, and they are very good about leaving the entire area cleaner than it was before they arrived. The mile has seen a build up of sand over the summer. Dunes with vegetation are building up in front of the present foredune. There is a sand bar near the surf-line that fairly steeply slopes to the ocean side and gently slopes down to the east. This creates a low spot between the ocean and the foredune area. The jetty now has sand up to the top rocks up until the time it runs into the wet sand. There is a taller rock on the jetty that can be used as a reference point. I estimate the sand has built up 100 yards further to the west since last winter. The is a lot of wood debris in the upper areas,The beach was fairly clean. I doubt that SOLV volunteers made it that far away from the parking lot, but maybe some did. Plastic sheets, wrappers, etc outnumbered plastic bottles. The only large item that caught my eye was a bright orange plastic pallet that had indentations like an egg carton.Since the mile includes the jetty, I'll report many dozen small open boats were looking for fall salmon inside the channel and just outside in the jaws and south of the south jetty. This is perfectly safe until the swells built up to 6 plus feet. Then an occasional series will roll through that area which are larger and will break in the shallow water near the jetty. I know of one boat that was capsized last year. In all likelihood it will happen again this year.

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All Mile 289 Reports

Showing 8 of 53 reports

Mile 289

September 20, 2021

This mile is not surveyed 4 times a year since it became a designated bird nesting area.

ollikainen

Mile 289

December 24, 2020

There is no trace of nesting bird protection.

ollikainen

Mile 289

September 21, 2020

September 15 ended the nesting bird restrictions on mile 289.

ollikainen

Mile 289

August 1, 2020

I saw so many different types of birds along the jetty, I'm no bird expert but I thought I saw pelicans, herons, cormorants, and sea gulls.

EJD

Mile 289

March 20, 2020

Mile 289 is again restricted due to bird nesting.

ollikainen

Mile 289

December 5, 2019

This survey was all about the jelly fish that covered the most recent wrack areas.

ollikainen

Mile 289

June 16, 2019

This is a partial survey.

ollikainen

Mile 289

March 21, 2019

The signage is up again keeping all dogs off Mile 289.

ollikainen