Mile 143 Report
South Umpqua Lighthouse SP
July 30, 2021
We arrived at Wincheser Bay smack dab in the middle of Dune Fest.
Report Details
We arrived at Wincheser Bay smack dab in the middle of Dune Fest. The campgrounds were full and the number of people and vehicles of all kinds, including what seemed like a dune buggy for every human, was staggering. Vehicles were parked on both sides of the road leading out to Umpqua Dunes. Needless to say, I'd never attended Dune Fest and will avoid it, in the future. It's a complete invasion of the natural world by humans and their noisy machines. We walked the beach all the way down to the STOP/Do not enter area sign, warning about poison bait (for crows, magpies and ravens). There was a lot less trash on the beach than on previous trips, perhaps due to high tides? There was less driftwood piled up on the beach, too. I picked up half of a large bag of trash, mostly plastic.
Conditions
Temperature: 65 F. Cloud Cover: Foggy. Wind Velocity: Strong. Wind Direction: N.
Human Activities
Number of people: 11. Number of dogs: 1. Walking or running: 6. Playing in surf: 1. Playing in sand: 3. Sitting: 4. Other Activities: throwing balls for their dog. I made the mistake of not checking events at Winchester Bay, B4 going over to walk my mile. This weekend is Dune Fest at Winchester Bay: a horrific, huge gathering of all manner of humans and their dune machines. There were more people, cars, trucks, RVs, buses and dune machines of every variety, than I have ever had to look at in my life. My numbers are probably low, I am guessing at how many hundreds of vehicles were crammed onto the roadsides and parking areas. There were police, sheriff's deputies, EMT wagons, fire trucks and Forest service law enforcement vehicles. I thought about running away, but my mile is at Umpqua Dunes, where the dune machines are not allowed on the beach. The Umpqua Dunes parking lot was full and the dunes were covered with roaring machines, but only a few people were on the beach. The Dune Fest organizers left a few parking spaces for the general public. This is the first time I've ever been able to hear dune machinery in the background, the entire time I walked on the beach. It's so ironic that there are roped off snowy plover nesting areas along Umpqua Dunes beach, with Dune Fest noise pollution on the other side of the dunes.
Concerns
Litter
Apparent violations: none.Disturbances: Shorebirds moving in response to humans/dogs
Vehicles
Notable Wildlife
One snowy plover, very few sandpipers, many seagulls, a lovely flock of pelicans, standing on the sand.
Driftline Content
Small rocks, Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Wood pieces, Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Styrofoam, Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.). broken glass and glass shards
All Mile 143 Reports
Mile 143
South Umpqua Lighthouse SP
The only time we saw other people was at the entrance to the beach, by the tsunami number sign.
kmwifish
Mile 143
South Umpqua Lighthouse SP
The day was uneventful, the garbage not as plentiful as other times.
kmwifish
Mile 143
South Umpqua Lighthouse SP
10 people on beach, including 5 birdwatchers, 2 dogs (one of which was off leash), people walking with off leash dog allowed dog to chase gulls and were pushing a flock of sandlerings down the beach in front of them.
mruggiero
Mile 143
South Umpqua Lighthouse SP
We arrived at Wincheser Bay smack dab in the middle of Dune Fest.
kmwifish
Mile 143
South Umpqua Lighthouse SP
There was much more plastic trash this time, than when we went in October.
kmwifish
Mile 143
South Umpqua Lighthouse SP
The beach was mostly deserted and there were few birds.
kmwifish
Mile 143
South Umpqua Lighthouse SP
The biggest thing I found was the water heater tank.
kmwifish
Mile 143
South Umpqua Lighthouse SP
We saw 5 other humans (2 when we started walking south and 3 when we returned) and one dog, besides we two and our dog.
kmwifish