Mile 178 - Cape Cove, Sea Lion Point, Sea Lion Caves - September 22, 2009

Report Details

Hey folks, I am still trying to play "catch up" with my mile reports. This one goes back to fall of 2009, just before the famous sea lion invasion. It was Fall Beach clean-up, and my daughter and I picked up five bags of trash between us. One alarming thing we discovered was a huge cedar log smoldering in the drift-line. With plenty of containers (plastic bottles) at our disposal, we put the fire out with tide-pool water. I also made a spectacular discovery on one of the boulders on the high beach. In the middle of it was a fossil of a 12 inch fish. The boulder weighed about a hundred pounds, so I decided to stash it in a secure spot, and come back with some help at a later date to retrieve it.

Conditions

Temperature: 60 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: 2.1 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 2. Other Activities: Beach clean-up, 2. The only two people on the beach were my daughter and I, participating in the annual Fall Beach clean-up.

Concerns

Fire, Litter

Notable Wildlife

Barking sea lions to the South, hanging out around the North entrance to the Caves.

Driftline Content

Seaweeds and seagrass, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Small rocks, Styrofoam, Wood pieces.

Man-made Modifications

A large chunk of cedar log was on fire (smoldering) on the drift-line. I suspect it was caused by a human.

Actions & Comments

My daughter and I grabbed plastic bottles off the beach, filled them with tide pool water, and repeatedly soaked the burning area until fire was out.