Mile 157 Report
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
March 5, 2013
A rainy day; we had the beach to ourselves.
Report Details
A rainy day; we had the beach to ourselves. Storm seemed to have brought in a lot of mostly plastic debris; much may have been tsunami in origin, but couldn't confirm. Lots of styrofoam in all types and sizes, lots of plastic bottles (some with Japanese writing), some glass bottles, parts of foam fishing floats, scattered dimensional lumber, some with nails sticking out, some unidentifiable molded plastic items, one with a lot of styrofoam insulation attached. In addition, clam shells (razor and otherwise), some kelp, many large, old stumps and other driftwood. But seriously, a lot of plastic garbage. Hauled off what we could carry, which was a fraction of the total. I walked with Melissa Willenborg, a film student working on a documentary about tsunami debris.
Conditions
Temperature: 45 F. Cloud Cover: Rain. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: 3.0 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 2. Number of dogs: 1. Walking or running: 2. A rainy day with no one on the beach or even in the parking lot but the two of us.
Notable Wildlife
Saw one snowy plover at far north end of mile; may have seen a pair at south end as well. Otherwise a few gulls, a duck or two on the creek.
Beached Birds
Total dead birds: 1. Very predated; Couldn't ID.
Driftline Content
Seaweeds and seagrass, Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.), Shells, Styrofoam, Wood pieces. Lots of debris (see summary).
Man-made Modifications
Oyster shells strewn by USFS on bulldozed dune for plover habitat.
Natural Changes
High sand volume (fishing boat buried).
Report Images
All Mile 157 Reports
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
This is a beautiful, secluded beach, accessible from the Oregon Dunes Day Use Area.
Mark Gasiorowski
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
It was another beautiful day on Mile 157, which we entered from the upper part of the Oregon Dunes Loop Trail.
GasiorowskiM
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
Mile 157 is a beautiful, little-visited stretch of coastline.
GasiorowskiM
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
Beautiful New Years Day at the beach, while it was cold and foggy in the valley.
bzenderson
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
A rainy day; we had the beach to ourselves.
bzenderson
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
Gorgeous day at the beach (crappy and cloudy and cold in Eugene).
bzenderson
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
There is a lot of buzz about whether the stuff on the beaches these days is from the tsunami.
bzenderson
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
Fair amount of ocean-borne debris, but unlike my last walk here about a month earlier, when the debris was d0ominated by Japanese plastic bottles (tsunami debris?
bzenderson