Mile 197 - San Marine, Tillicum Beach, Tillicum Beach CG - March 28, 2015

Report Details

A very clean beach on this official clean-up day. I only managed to find a few small plastic fragments and some very small chunks of styrofoam. I did get a chuckle out of seeing a trail left in damp sand by one of the styrofoam bits that had blown up the beach -- who knew styrofoam contributed to beach erosion? (See photo.) There wasn't much natural material in the driftline either. About 1/3 mile south of the campground, some large pieces of cliff have broken off. (See photo.)Just north of the campground's north steps down to the beach, two sets of hand- and footholds have been gouged out of the cliff. (See photo.)Quite a few spring break visitors were on the beach, enough that my estimate of their numbers, and the number of their dogs, is pretty rough. The beached by-the-wind sailors were not nearly as numerous as I remember them being last year. (See photo.)All in all, a quiet beautiful day.

Conditions

Temperature: 57 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: S.

Human Activities

Number of people: 50. Number of dogs: 10. Walking or running: 35. Playing in surf: 3. Playing in sand: 15. Sitting: 15. Other Activities: Flying kites, 5. Number of people and dogs approximate. The beach was relatively busy with spring break visitors.

Notable Wildlife

Small flock of gulls, couple of ravens.

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

A smattering of by-the-wind sailors along the length of the mile.

Driftline Content

Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Shells, Small rocks, Styrofoam, Wood pieces.