Mile 242 Report
Lincoln City, D River SW, Devils Lake SP, Oceanlake
April 24, 2026
Anyone missing a sock?
Report Details
Anyone missing a sock? We found several during our litter pickup on a sunny spring day along Mile 242. Along the wrack line, colonies of Velella velella stretched for miles, leaving a strong scent of rotting marine debris in the warming air. Above the wrack line, clumps of blue mussel had washed ashore, evidence of recent rough seas. Despite this, the coastline’s beauty stood out, especially with numerous Painted Lady butterflies gliding effortlessly on the light wind. By the end of the day, three pounds of litter had been collected, a small but meaningful effort to care for this dynamic and ever-changing shoreline.
Conditions
Temperature: 61 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: -0.3 feet.
Activities
Types of Activities: Sitting, Walking/Running, Biking, Painting/Photography, Fishing/Clamming/Harvesting, Tidepooling, Other - see below.
Number of people: 300. Number of dogs: 60.
Other Activities: Playing ball games, kite flying, sunbathing, guitar playing, drone flying, sand play, surf playing, 3 electric bikes, and people looking for glass balls.. Tire tracks were noted outside of the boundary area..
Concerns
Litter, Climbing bluffs/seastacks
Vehicles
Cars/trucks on beach, allowed: 32.
Notable Wildlife
Butterflys:Lady or Admirals, Sea anemones, sea stars, sculpins, Pacific Blue Mussels, Gooseneck Barnacles. Birds: Turnstones, Oyster Catchers, gulls.
Dead Fish or Invertebrates
Unusual concentration. Vellella Vallella
Wrackline Content
Small rocks, Wood pieces, Marine debris, Other. Microplastics, Chinese soda bottle, socks, cigarette butts
Man-made Modifications
Other. A new trail appeared to be coming down from a home (with wrought-iron fencing and a gate leading to the beach) south of the D River. The slope is steep and eroding. It appears to have been mowed or a bush cutter used to make the trail.
Natural Changes
Newly exposed roots/trees falling. Large exposed roots from a tree at the top of the bluff, south of the D River.
Piles of Blue Mussels washed ashore.
Our tide pool is now covered in sand.
Multiple Sea Anemones at low tide.
Cluster of sea stars.
Galaxy of sea stars
Erosion of sandstone chair south of D River
Heavy foot traffic on sandstone cliffs as people search for Earth Day glass balls,
Painted Lady butterflies on a spring day.
Oyster Catcher and a gull
Turnstone in flight
House with trail leading to beach
Sandstone cliff observation
Report Images
Bobbie, Annette, Sally, Bill, and Maureen
CoastWatcher
All Mile 242 Reports
Mile 242
Lincoln City, D River SW, Devils Lake SP, Oceanlake
What began as a foggy morning along the coast soon became much clearer when we spotted a familiar face educating the public at the tide pools near Mile 242. Annette, a member of our group, took the opportunity to educate families about the Lincoln City Glass Floats program, encouraging participants to explore areas outside of protected habitats to increase their chances of discovering one of the treasured glass floats while minimizing impacts to sensitive coastal resources. The high volume of visitors also resulted in a significant amount of litter. As the fog lifted, the coastline came alive with activity.
Teachers Bobbie, Annette, Bill, Sally, and Maureen
Mile 242
Lincoln City, D River SW, Devils Lake SP, Oceanlake
CoastWatch volunteers develop highly trained observational skills. Our monitored mile has changed dramatically as shifting sands have buried portions of the tidepool habitat. Construction of the new visitor center is also underway near our monitoring area.
Teachers Annette, Bobbie, Sally, Bill, and Maureen
Mile 242
Lincoln City, D River SW, Devils Lake SP, Oceanlake
Anyone missing a sock?
Bobbie, Annette, Sally, Bill, and Maureen
Mile 242
Lincoln City, D River SW, Devils Lake SP, Oceanlake
During our field observation at the Oregon shore, unseasonably warm weather conditions coincided with increased recreational activity.
Teachers Bobbie, Annette, Sally, Bill, and Maureen
Mile 242
Lincoln City, D River SW, Devils Lake SP, Oceanlake
During the observation period, favorable coastal weather conditions attracted numerous visitors seeking relief from colder valley temperatures.
Teachers Bill, Sally, Bobbie, Annette, and Maureen
Mile 242
Lincoln City, D River SW, Devils Lake SP, Oceanlake
At low tide, breakfast at the coast offered a view of the natural world awakening.
Teachers Sally, Bobbie, Annette, Kaily, and Maureen
Mile 242
Lincoln City, D River SW, Devils Lake SP, Oceanlake
Over the weekend, a large number of visitors escaped the 100-degree valley heat and headed to the cool Oregon coast, where tidepooling proved especially popular.
Teachers Sally, Laurie, Bobby, Annette, and Maueen
Mile 242
Lincoln City, D River SW, Devils Lake SP, Oceanlake
Despite the foggy, cold, and windy conditions, a zero tide offered a unique opportunity to observe the dynamic changes along the shoreline.
Teachers Bobbie, Sally, Annette, and Maureen