Mile 152 - Oregon Dunes NRA, north of Threemile Creek - July 23, 2008

Report Details

The beach itself is beautiful and showed little signs of ATV usage except for plastic bottles and other trash. The beach has very few shells or casings and very few birds. There is apparently a lot of activity at the river's inlet south of the parking lot, however. I was appalled to see the amount of trash everywhere and two driftwood lean-tos for cozy camping. Moreover, there is a tremendous amount of huge driftwood logs at the upper end of the river. They are choking the stream. It is not a nice place to go anymore.

Concerns

Litter

Apparent violations: Lots of litter at river inlet.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 1.

Notable Wildlife

Very clean, as usual

Driftline Content

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.), Styrofoam.

Actions & Comments

We enjoyed a nice walk on the beach north of Sparrow Park Road, and the potholes have been fixed on the road. The low tide created small ponds but the sand didn't seem as high as last year when there was a very large pond at the end of the mile. We picked up two bags of trash, mostly plastic bottles and one styrofoam bumper from a boat. However, I was dismayed to see the area at the river inlet. Last year, the inlet was nice for wading and throwing sticks for the dog. There was quite a bit of driftwood at the upper end. Now, it is now almost completely choked by huge driftwood logs and debris. Not only that, there are two driftwood lean-tos built by campers (with wooden flooring, quite cosy), and a huge amount of trash. We had already filled our bags so will have to go back. I think the county should take a look at the place.