Mile 224 Report
Beverly Beach north, Johnson Creek
July 21, 2012
Water was way out today; quite a bit of the ocean floor (or an area normally underwater) exposed.
Report Details
Water was way out today; quite a bit of the ocean floor (or an area normally underwater) exposed. I was on the mile from 8:40 a.m. to 9:55 a.m.; the number of people on the beach changed during that time, as did the number of dogs (and vehicles in the parking lots). Number of people increased to approximately 17 people, number of dogs to 5, all off leash, seemed mostly well mannered. Of the 17 people, maybe 4-5 were surfers, two were runners and 1 a bicyclist, the rest walkers/standers. This is a typical pattern, people come & go on this beach within the hour or so that I spend on it. Probably the surfers are most likely to be on the beach as long as I am, unless it's a hot day and people come w/their kids & spend several hours on the beach.There are two lots and some on-street parking at the beach access. I checked only one lot on my arrival. When I left, there were 8 vehicles in the first lot, 10 vehicles in the second lot, and maybe 4-5 vehicles parked on the street. Towards the south end of the mile, the sound of the surf was overridden by the noise of traffic on the highway. No noisy small aircraft overflights today or the aircraft was flying high enough to be not intrusively noisy.I saw 3 big white onions & a banana in the driftline, all w/in about 40 feet and all relatively fresh looking. Part of a picnic? Part of a picnic that went overboard? Or maybe people just tossing overboard or onto the beach whatever they don't want. The sun came out as I walked the mile--it was close to muggy--I could see some fog/clouds just to the east and a fog bank sitting several miles offshore. Not even a breeze except right down by the water.I've attached photos of: general view of mile from near top of access stairs; a few views of the ocean bottom and how the water flowing over the beach & retreating tides shape it, and continued bluff erosion (physical erosion/water & air/gravity). This beach was pretty clean, I picked up a medium-sized piece of styrofoam and a plastic bottle (that was near an area that looked like people had been picnicking/partying). When I was back at the parking lot, heading towards the trash cans, a woman walking nearby made a comment something like: Oh, I see you picked up the biggest piece of styrofoam. I was in a hurry so I didn't stop to ask her what she meant but it sure sounded like she & perhaps the person w/her had also picked up some litter they found on the beach. If so, it's good news.
Conditions
Temperature: 60 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: SW. Tide Level: -1.0 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 11. Number of dogs: 3. Walking or running: 7. Playing in surf: 1. Surfing: 3. Other Activities: playing in surf was probably actually trying to boogie board. There were a number of firepits on the beach, both close to the south end of the mile (near Beverly Beach state park) and towards the midpoint. Dogs were off leash, two under no control.
Vehicles
Notable Wildlife
Much more sea grass/sea whips/kelp then usual seen on this walk, it made up most of the driftline.
Beached Birds
Total dead birds: 3. Likely to have been common murres. One ID of common murre I am sure of, the other two I saw were half buried/decomposed/destroyed but remaining dimensions were similar to identifiable murre.
Dead Fish or Invertebrates
Unusual concentration. I don't know if it was unusual, lots of crabs/crab parts--more than I usually see on this beach.
Driftline Content
Seaweeds and seagrass, Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Styrofoam.
Natural Changes
minor & continued erosion of one exposed bluff.
Actions & Comments
No action to take, erosion is a natural process. Sometimes it's being hurried by people clambering down the bluffs to get down to the beach. There are a few areas of this mile where that happens.
Report Images
All Mile 224 Reports
Mile 224
Beverly Beach north, Johnson Creek
Sunny & warm day, with more people & dogs then I've seen in years on the beach, probably because of the heat wave in PDX, the Willamette Valley & so much of the US. In addition to walking the mile to do a Coastwatch report, I participated in a Surfrider day after the 4th beach trash pickup.
s hogg
Mile 224
Beverly Beach north, Johnson Creek
Low tide at Yaquina Bay was listed as 12:16 pm today, the north jetty & a headland, and probably about 8-10 miles separate YB from the beach at Otter Rock where my mile is located, I don't know how much those factors change (or not) the exact tide level when I stepped onto the beach this morning OR when I left, about noon. Overall a beautiful day on the beach, on my arrival there were probably 23 people (including surfers) on the beach, that number increased to the number I entered.
S hogg
Mile 224
Beverly Beach north, Johnson Creek
Very low tide this am, I have no idea what the exact tide level was so I didn't enter a number.
malachite
Mile 224
Beverly Beach north, Johnson Creek
Pleasant if chilly walk on the beach.
malachite
Mile 224
Beverly Beach north, Johnson Creek
Quite a dynamic winter on this mile, more erosion noted, and a moderate sized slide seen on the mile.
malachite
Mile 224
Beverly Beach north, Johnson Creek
Nice day for a walk on the beach, clean beach, saw 6 cyclists (one solo, I think the rest were more or less together), first time I've seen cyclists on this beach, have seen them off & on from the south jetty north to Lucky Gap access.
malachite
Mile 224
Beverly Beach north, Johnson Creek
Pretty day on the beach, I was on the beach when the tide was going out, my South Beach tide table indicates the low tide in SB was at 9:43 am & 1.
malachite