March 1, 2013

Report Details

We’ve walked this beach mile several times each week since October and have observed yards of sand dune erosion, exposing massive logs to tides, and creating expansive flat beach front where sloped sand fronting the dunes had been. Recently sand deposits have started on the north end of the Salishan spit, creating a new wider beach at the jaws of the Siletz River opening to the Pacific. Now, the sand is being redeposited along this mile.On November 12, we removed a dozen plastic bottles and personal hygiene items with Asian markings. A small refrigerator worked its way along the beach for a week as did a wooden dock with wheels. One day in January we collected over three dozen Asian marked plastic bottles. Also, large quantity of broken Styrofoam in a variety of sizes was strewn over the mile but we were unable to remove it that day and it was gone when we returned on a later walk. We recycle as much of the debris as possible. Two discarded holiday trees lay on the northern end of the beach.One Jan. 19, a guy walked south carrying an assault rifle.Most days black fowl feed in the low surf just north of the Inn and seagulls abound. One day, after a rough tide, the beach where the Siletz meets the Pacific was strewn with an impressive quantity of starfish.From time to time a dead bird or two lies on the beach and often crab shells wash in. If the weekend weather isn’t raining, folks agate hunt the length of the mile.