Mile 221 - Schooner Pt, Moolack Beach S of Moolack Creek - September 17, 2018

Report Details

I accessed the beach from NW 68th St which is just south of Schooner Point and the southern end of mile 221. Soil erosion on the trail down to the beach on the north end of the mile by Moolack Creek has made it too difficult for me to use it for access. The 19 people observed on the beach included 5 children. That is a lot of people for this stretch of beach especially on a weekday. I often see no more than 6 or so even on summer weekends and they are usually clustered on the north end of the mile by the Moolack Shores Inn. Today's group was spread out over the entire mile. I found only a minimal amount of trash that included a glass jar, a can, a few small pieces of plastic, food wrappings, men's boxer shorts and a bag of dog poop. All but one piece of plastic were found on dry sand. There was more crab molt in the drift line and on the soft sand areas near the cliff walls than I usually see here. There seemed to be less driftwood than I observed earlier in the summer.

Conditions

Temperature: 58 F. Cloud Cover: Partly Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: N. Tide Level: 3.4 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 19. Number of dogs: 1. Walking or running: 17. Photography: 1.

Concerns

Apparent violations: None observed..

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 4.

Notable Wildlife

The only wildlife observed was a couple large groups of adult and juvenile gulls.

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 6. The birds were deteriorated beyond my ability to recognize them. Most were just bone and some wing feathers. No leg bands were observed.

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

None observed.

Driftline Content

Small rocks, Seaweeds and seagrass, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt). The drift line contained a large amount of crab molt and, in some areas, large amounts of bullwhip kelp and seagrass.

New Development

The damaged steps noted in a prior report have not been repaired.

Man-made Modifications

None observed

Natural Changes

Some minor falling rocks and soil erosion on cliffs.

Report Images

KathyLJ

CoastWatcher

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