January 20, 2018

Temperature: 43 F. Cloud Cover: Partly Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: S. Tide Level: 4.5 feet.

Number of people: 12. Walking or running: 12. Other Activities: others inspecting damage from extremely rough surf stairs and and changes to the embankment between beach and private property.

Very little activity including ocean-side and land-side birds.

A small pinkish gelatinous thing that appears to have been living (see image).

Small rocks, Seaweeds and seagrass, Wood pieces. Very little trash, very little wood debris bot large and small. A very clean beach. Most wood that existed along the beach has been stripped away. Evidence is that some was carried a distance north (see image).

No apparent new stairs added. Some sets of existing stairs have been, moved, slightly damaged and some heavily damaged beyond repair. Cement steps appeared to endure unscathed.

New riprap or shoreline protection structures. On January 15th, a track hoe was delivered to the side of the highway just south of the Wakonda Beach access. It was fitted with a hydraulic jack hammer where the bucket would normally be. On the 17th, another track hoe was delivered with customary bucket and thumb - likely for setting rock. The second track hoe proceeded to work its way down the access to the beach leveling the uneven ground as it progressed (see images). Soon, dump truck loads of very coarse crushed rock were being delivered and then leveled by the hoe. The last load was spread down onto the sandy beach. Just as the last rock was smoothed, a wave came in around the tracks of the hoe. The operator proceeded back up the access and parked. Over night, the heavy surf came in and by morning, the access was cut off leaving a drop of 3+ feet to the sand below. Checking with Oregon State Parks, there is a permit issued for this work. The permit is to allow access modification, trucks carrying large rock north up the beach approximately 1/2 mile to add to the bank of a property there. Again, this is a permitted activity. Considering the rough surf and expected storms, it will be interesting to see when this operation can be continued.

Landslides/major boulder falls, Erosion of vegetated foredune, Evidence of wave overtopping. Logs appear to have been carried up and over the naturally deposited grass-covered sand against the bank. This bank is approximately 12' to 15' higher than the leveled sandy beach. There is strong evidence of undercutting of the base of the bank where a whole line of the bank has dropped about half-way down. At one property, sand was actually redeposited over wood/rebar retaining walls of a repaired septic system that was actually being scoured out from previous wave activity (see images).

Contacted Oregon State Parks to verify if equipment activity is permitted.