Mile 202 Report
North Spit Alsea River
July 6, 2020
The Morning After -- July 5th here in Bayshore, on an otherwise beautiful weekend, means residents spending hours beginning to clean up the fireworks debris left by the few thoughtless holiday visitors who don't believe the "Fireworks Prohibited" signs should restrict their freedom to trash the beach.
Report Details
The Morning After -- July 5th here in Bayshore, on an otherwise beautiful weekend, means residents spending hours beginning to clean up the fireworks debris left by the few thoughtless holiday visitors who don't believe the "Fireworks Prohibited" signs should restrict their freedom to trash the beach. Attached are photos of the debris my wife and I and neighbors have been collecting, piece by piece, some of it now being partially covered by blowing sand. Unfortunately, it's not harmless trash but also toxic stuff potentially deadly to wildlife. The little red plastic shards look vaguely edible, and there's no way of getting it all. I know this is just preaching to the choir, but it makes me feel better.
Conditions
Temperature: 60 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: SW. Tide Level: 0.0 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 30. Number of dogs: 10. Walking or running: 30.
Concerns
Fire, Litter
Apparent violations: Mile 202 was mostly clean, but see the attached photo of July 4th fireworks debris collected from a 50' X 100' area of the beach near the Bayshore South beach access. And see the photo of a still smoldering log with COVID mask, nobody around..Notable Wildlife
Crows, cormorants, swallows, a couple hundred gulls sitting at low tide water's edge near the tip of Alsea Spit (see photo). An osprey flew overhead going north without anything in its talons. I saw it a few minutes later sitting on a beach log feeding on an eel (see photo), so it must have caught the eel in or near the surf. The osprey nest in the Bayshore Beach Club parking lot hasn't been occupied despite the encouraging signs of a couple of months ago.
Beached Birds
Total dead birds: 1. One very decomposed carcass, a gull?
Driftline Content
Small rocks, Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Wood pieces, Land-based debris (picnics, etc.). See photos of Bayshore South fireworks debris (and also a photo of Mile 203, Bayshore North, fireworks debris).
Natural Changes
The beach looked similar to my previous walk.
Actions & Comments
My wife and I collected fireworks debris from beach. Neighbors on Mile 203 also helped with collecting fireworks debris further north.
Report Images
Jon French
CoastWatcher
All Mile 202 Reports
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
Mile 202 beach accesses and exits are now restricted because of erosion and sheering off of the sand cliffs along its northern portion, so I now need to plan for a receding tide if I want to walk the entire mile safely.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
After finding forty beached Cassin's Auklets on Jan.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
A beautifully calm, sunny day, maybe the last for awhile, with a fifteen mile view from Seal Rock to Cape Perpetua and hardly anyone on the beach except for two surf fishers and a couple valiantly trying to launch a kite with no wind.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
As I began yesterday's mile walk and monthly COASST beached bird survey, a light rain began to fall, the first in months.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
As I have done before, I combined today's walk with my monthly COASST survey for dead seabirds.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
The beach was fairly cool today after 99 degrees two days ago.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
This was my second monthly beached bird survey for COASST (Coastal Observation And Seabird Survey Team) which I combined with my mile walk.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
A dead certacean was reported to the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network to be on the beach in Bayshore Oregon by Beach Entrance 67d.
JLcoasties