Mile 161 Report
Oregon Dunes NRA just north of Siltcoos River
May 5, 2026
What is life like on the Oregon coast beaches? Vellela vellela is a genus of hydrozoa (a group of little, predatory sea creatures) in the family Porpitidae. The Field trip on mile 161 we found amazing stuff from dead wildlife to stuff from Japan and China!
Report Details
What is life like on the Oregon coast beaches? The Oregon coast is a beautiful place to beachcomb. There are some beautiful things like agates, which are the most treasured gifts of the coast, and shells, sand dollars, and other things that most people enjoy. The shoreline group is a very good group if you like the Oregon coast beaches. The beaches in Oregon have so much to see and learn about. But there are also unfortunate things that happen on the Oregon coast like the fact that 46% of shorebirds ingest plastic in their lifetime. Vellela vellela is a genus of hydrozoa (a group of little, predatory sea creatures) in the family Porpitidae. Each apparent individual is a hydroid colony, and they get stranded on beaches thousands at a time. They can get to 2.8 inches long or 7 cm. velellas are carnivores like other cnidarians; they eat plankton. Each individual is a whole colony, and they are known as “sea rafts” for their purple-ish blue hard sails that catch the wind and bring them from the ocean to the land.You can find many different shells on the lower wrackline and some beautiful pieces of driftwood on the upper wrackline. The Field trip on mile 161 we found amazing stuff from dead wildlife to stuff from Japan and China! We found out what kind of things are evidence of living organisms. Some evidence we found was animal prints. The animal prints were fun to see and guess what kind they were. We also unfortunately found garbage on the beach. We had an amazing time and we recommend it to anyone who's interested!
Conditions
Temperature: 54 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: -0.03 feet.
Activities
Types of Activities: Walking/Running, Kayaking/SUP/Boating.
Number of people: 8. Number of dogs: 1.
Concerns
Fire, Litter
Vehicles
Cars/trucks on beach, allowed: 2. ATVs/OHVs on beach, allowed: 3.
Notable Wildlife
Snowy Plovers, osprey, harbor seals. insects
Dead Fish or Invertebrates
5 dead crabs, Velella velella
Wrackline Content
Small rocks, Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Animal casings or molts, Wood pieces, Marine debris. Object with Japanese or Chinese writing on it.
Report Images
Siuslaw Stream Team
CoastWatcher
All Mile 161 Reports
Mile 161
Oregon Dunes NRA just north of Siltcoos River
What is life like on the Oregon coast beaches? Vellela vellela is a genus of hydrozoa (a group of little, predatory sea creatures) in the family Porpitidae. The Field trip on mile 161 we found amazing stuff from dead wildlife to stuff from Japan and China!
Siuslaw Stream Team
Mile 161
Oregon Dunes NRA just north of Siltcoos River
We walked along the wrack line of mile 161 and tallied the living and the non-living things we saw. We estimated how many of the big groups of living and non-living things are on the mile, tallied the living and non-living things we saw, and we took a few samples.
Siuslaw Middle School Stream Team
Mile 161
Oregon Dunes NRA just north of Siltcoos River
What evidence of living or non-living things is found in the wrack line of mile 161? We went to the lowest rackline first, then, while going back, explored the top rackline. Then we explored the river’s mouth and went back to the starting point in the middle. We went the other way until we got to the big yellow sign that said 109A. We did the same thing here, we went to the lowest rack line, then the highest wrack line on the way back. In conclusion, the beach has many living things on the shoreline, and you should be careful of things there. We found lots of shells and other things to put on our posters. By Kaydence Gonzales, Olive Dougherty, Lillian Olson, Ella Gilkey, Myla Streck, Kinsey Boggs
Siuslaw Stream Team
Mile 161
Oregon Dunes NRA just north of Siltcoos River
We are the shoreline group of the first quarter 6th-grade Stream Team.
Siuslaw Stream Team
Mile 161
Oregon Dunes NRA just north of Siltcoos River
I was pleasantly surprised to spot many juvenile plovers near the water's edge and further up the shore, sitting in scrapes. I was dismayed to find long expanses of dead jellies. As always, the osprey were feeding and then watching me from their perch on an old fallen tree.
Anna Yori
Mile 161
Oregon Dunes NRA just north of Siltcoos River
I was happy to see less human encroachment this time into the protected, fenced-off areas designated for the endangered Snowy Plovers.
Anna Yori
Mile 161
Oregon Dunes NRA just north of Siltcoos River
I monitor this location as a USFS Snowy Plover docent.
Anna Yori
Mile 161
Oregon Dunes NRA just north of Siltcoos River
Many abiotic and biotic factors can be found along the shoreline of Siltcoos Outlet, Florence Oregon. Overall, we found many living and non living things along the wrack line of mile 161.
Siuslaw Stream Team