Mile 228 Report
Rocky Creek State Wayside, Whale Cove
January 23, 2015
Big news on Whale Cove!
Report Details
Big news on Whale Cove! The undeveloped land on the west, north and east side of the cove is now owned by the USFWS.Our neighbor, Bryce Buchanan, purchased the land in 2005 with the sole purpose of conserving the area and preventing some of the extreme developments that had been considered, e.g., a restaurant with an elevator to the beach, large homes even on the headland. After a long torturous process involving several federal and state agencies, attornies, etc., the land was transferred to the USFWS on December 31, 2014. The North Coast Land Conservancy was a big help in this process.Whale Cove is the oldest marine reserve in Oregon, where all marine life is protected. Now, being part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, the USFWS says, "it will provide an undisturbed upland buffer to the marine resources of the cove in addition to added protection for the nesting seabirds and marine mammals".
djohnson
CoastWatcher
All Mile 228 Reports
Mile 228
Rocky Creek State Wayside, Whale Cove
Clear, warm, calm day with no adverse human behavior.
dwhite
Mile 228
Rocky Creek State Wayside, Whale Cove
Excluding by sea, the entry to Whale Cove beach requires passage on private property and an easement provided by USFW, so it was unusual to find such a collection of beachgoers.
dwhite
Mile 228
Rocky Creek State Wayside, Whale Cove
All human activity was at the Rocky Creek wayside, not Whale Cove.
dwhite
Mile 228
Rocky Creek State Wayside, Whale Cove
Both the Whale Cove beach and Rocky Creek wayside were in good condition as usual, however there were rubber surf boards and a downspout that were found both on the beach below the houses on the bluff and hung up among small vegetation on the cliff in between the houses and the beach.
dwhite
Mile 228
Rocky Creek State Wayside, Whale Cove
Although not king tide level, high waves at high tide on Jan 18, 2018 reached all the way into the inner reaches of Whale Cove's sandy cliffs.
dwhite
Mile 228
Rocky Creek State Wayside, Whale Cove
Coast Guard and Depoe Bay fire crews rescued a 19-year-old male hiker in the vicinity of Whale Cove, after he reportedly suffered seizures and became immobilized Tuesday evening.
dwhite
Mile 228
Rocky Creek State Wayside, Whale Cove
Both Whale Cove and Rocky Creek were in good shape and quite free of debris.
dwhite
Mile 228
Rocky Creek State Wayside, Whale Cove
There was a notable increase in driftwood and debris that had washed up onto the Whale Cove beach.
dwhite