Mile 188 - Neptune SP, Strawberry Hill Picnic Area - April 14, 2023

Report Details

It was a beautiful day at Mile 188, with the resident harbor seals dozing on the rocks just offshore and many gulls flying around. The tide was very low, exposing large numbers of mussels, barnacles, ananomies, and sea stars, mainly on the south beach. There has been considerable erosion from the bluffs overlooking the south and north beaches, as well as a great deal of sand erosion from these beaches. The path from the parking area to the south beach has eroded considerably in recent months.

Conditions

Temperature: 50 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: SW. Tide Level: 0.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 19. Number of dogs: 2. Walking or running: 6. Tidepooling: 5.

Concerns

Litter

Apparent violations: A small amount of litter on the south and north beaches..

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 10.

Driftline Content

Small rocks, Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Wood pieces.

Natural Changes

Landslides/major boulder falls, Newly exposed roots/trees falling. There has been considerable erosion from the bluffs overlooking the beaches south and north of the parking area since my last visit in January. In places the edge of the bluff is getting close to Highway 101. See attached photos. There has also been considerable erosion of sand from the south and north beaches, making large areas almost unrecognizable and impassable since my last visit. And the path from the parking area to the south beach has eroded sharply, losing as much as a foot since my last visit. This erosion seems due mainly to the extensive rain and wave activity that has occurred in recent months, though human activity has helped erode the path to the south beach.