Mile 317 Report
November 9, 2008
Nothing particularly unusual observed.
Report Details
Nothing particularly unusual observed. Access to northern half of the mile was very limited, due to sharp cliffs. Will explore a northern access route on my next visit. This was my first visit to the mile, so changes were unidentifiable. There was a pool of water about 200 feet from the shore of collected water from a stream, that eventually seeped through mounds of rock and caused sand to collapse, leaving level islands of sand mounds a foot in height. Children and dogs were playing on mounds, further collapsing the sand.
Conditions
Temperature: 55 F. Cloud Cover: Rain. Wind Velocity: Moderate.
Human Activities
Number of people: 18. Number of dogs: 3. Walking or running: 15. Surfing: 3. Typical day at the beach. About 15 people walking the beach at a time between 1:30pm-3:30pm. Did not witness any current illegal activities. Very rainy, windy, and cold day.
Concerns
Fire, Litter
Apparent violations: two locations of man-made fire rings.Disturbances: Shorebirds moving in response to humans/dogs
Vehicles
Notable Wildlife
About 200 seagulls
Beached Birds
Total dead birds: 1. Too mutilated to identify. Had webbed feet.
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, Styrofoam. soccer ball, rope, cigarette lighter
Natural Changes
Newly exposed roots/trees falling.
Report Images
All Mile 317 Reports
Mile 317
Collected 4 Ikea bags of debris from beach just north of Indian Beach, mostly fishing gear, single use plastics, and golf balls.
DeniseH
Mile 317
Black Oystercatchers are currently raising three chicks on Submarine Rock and birds' behavior was noted to change due to tidepoolers.
SeagerG
Mile 317
A drone hovered very close to the Black Oystercatcher nesting site on Submarine Rock for nearly 15 minutes (definitely affecting the behavior of both parents and chicks) and nearly hit a juvenile Bald Eagle;The Steller pup was in a high traffic area and even with relocation of the sign from the Seaside Aquarium, people either couldn't see him, or still wanted to get close to take photos.
SeagerG
Mile 317
An endangered Stellar sea lion pup has been continually harassed by visitors and dogs for several days, and the same behavior continued today.
tabeag
Mile 317
I'm wondering if better protection can be put in place for endangered seal and sea lion pups.
SeagerG
Mile 317
The majority of the people seemed genuinely concerned with the health of the sea lion but weren't sure what to do and weren't aware pups are left on beaches by their mothers.
SeagerG