Mile 157 - Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake - June 20, 2012

Report Details

There is a lot of buzz about whether the stuff on the beaches these days is from the tsunami. We found a lot of rigid styrofoam (presumably for insulation); normally see very little of that. Many black plastic fishing floats (of the kind we saw on the beach before the tsunami, but more than usual), and dimensional lumber stamped with japanese writing (a couple of roughly 4x4s), along with a couple of light bulbs (could be from a container/the Garbage Patch, as we often find them) and other things, including plastic and glass bottles, some with Japanese writing. I am convinced that at least some of this stuff is tsunami debris. The foam, at least: house insulation?

Human Activities

Number of people: 2. Walking or running: 2.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 3.

Notable Wildlife

one snowy plover on beach. One bald eagle over dunes. Not a lot of bird activity (no pelicans, a few gulls)

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 3. Little left of them; couldn't ID.

Stranded Marine Mammals

One dead seal that the vultures were picking over.

Driftline Content

Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Shells, Styrofoam, Wood pieces. Driftline full of tiny jellyfish-like blobs; sea gooseberries? Also presumptive tsumai debris; see summary.

Natural Changes

High sand volume (buried fishing boat not visible).

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