Mile 247 Report
South Spit Salmon River, Tillamook/Lincoln county line
February 16, 2024
Sitka Team members and Sitka Center artists in residence accessed Mile 247 via kayak, walked south taking observations of the beach mile and met Camp Westwind Team members near Mile 247's rocky habitat.
Report Details
Sitka Team members and Sitka Center artists in residence accessed Mile 247 via kayak, walked south taking observations of the beach mile and met Camp Westwind Team members near Mile 247's rocky habitat. 4 Ochre Sea Stars were observed in the rocky habitat which did not display any signs of sea star wasting syndrome. After completing a CoastWatch survey form the group walked north picking up debris from the beach before paddling eling back across the Salmon River Estuary. Wind predictions underestimated the actual felt weather of the day, making the estuary slightly choppy.
Conditions
Temperature: 48 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Strong. Tide Level: 1.34 feet.
Activities
Number of people: 7. Walking or running: 7. Sitting: 7. Tidepooling: 2. Kayaking: 1.
Other Activities: Tire tracks in sand..
Notable Wildlife
harbor seals, sea gulls, ochre sea stars, acorn barnacles, gooseneck barnacles, giant green anemones, limpets and a great blue heron.
Stranded Marine Mammals
Total stranded mammals: 2.
Dead Fish or Invertebrates
none
Wrackline Content
Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Animal casings or molts, Wood pieces, Plastic debri (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.).
Report Images
Nancy Newman
CoastWatcher
All Mile 247 Reports
Mile 247
South Spit Salmon River, Tillamook/Lincoln county line
New/newish landslides, trash/debris and dead pelican
Joan Mahler
Mile 247
South Spit Salmon River, Tillamook/Lincoln county line
Six survey participants (Sitka Center team, Residency Program participants and community members) accessed Mile 247 via kayaking across the Salmon River Estuary, walked the length of the beach mile observing and noting as they walked. Notes on Community Science Projects: -Ochre sea stars were observed from a distance in the outer area of the rocky habitat. -An MDMAP survey was not conducted during this excursion due to a lack of debris in Mile 247's marine debris monitoring area.
Sitka Center
Mile 247
South Spit Salmon River, Tillamook/Lincoln county line
Overall, the beach was gorgeous and appeared to be swept clean by recent high tides.
Joan Mahler
Mile 247
South Spit Salmon River, Tillamook/Lincoln county line
A survey team of Sitka Center staff and residency program participants (Jake, Nancy, Sharita and GraySea) accessed Mile 247 - Salmon River Spit by crossing the Salmon River Estuary via kayak and paddleboard.
Sitka Center
Mile 247
South Spit Salmon River, Tillamook/Lincoln county line
A survey team of Sitka Center staff and local volunteers (GraySea, Jake, Nancy, Laurie and Bill) accessed the sand spit via kayak and canoe. The survey team accessed the south side of the 'keyhole' area in the rocky intertidal habitat (southernmost portion of Mile 247) and conducted a 15 minute timed count of ochre sea stars to submit to the MARINe program.
Sitka Team and Community Members
Mile 247
South Spit Salmon River, Tillamook/Lincoln county line
A survey team of Sitka Center staff and local volunteers (Chris, Nancy, Lilly and Melissa) accessed the sand spit via kayak and canoe.
Sitka Center Team and Community Members
Mile 247
South Spit Salmon River, Tillamook/Lincoln county line
Trash and dead seal
Joan Mahler
Mile 247
South Spit Salmon River, Tillamook/Lincoln county line
A survey team of two Sitka Center team members, Jake and Nancy, accessed Mile 247 - Salmon River Spit by crossing the Salmon River Estuary via kayak and paddleboard. During this survey, the survey team was able to access the inner area of the rocky habitat and do a 15 minute timed sea star count in the two sea star monitoring sites. As the survey team walked back north noteable debris included a large tangle of ships rope, noteable wrack line content included a high concentration of giant mole crab casings/moults and small pieces of hard plastics.
Nancy Newman