Mile 258 - Nestucca North Spit south end - January 18, 2016

Report Details

One family of 4 seen walking the shoreline, along with another couple with their 2 dogs off leash. Large amount of debris seen, from a broken up plastic deck chair, tire, large rectangular piece of plastic to numerous small pieces of plastic, broken glass, rope and styrofoam. Picked up as much as I could. Could have used a large garbage bag. At the edge of the dunes, in the dune grass I spotted a harbor seal, about 3-4 feet in length. As I slowly moved closer to it, it looked like it wanted to move away from me, but was unable to or chose not to. I was unable to tell clearly if it was injured. I reported my findings.

Conditions

Temperature: 52 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: 3.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 6. Number of dogs: 2. Walking or running: 6. Other Activities: 6 folks seen walking the beach, one couple had their 2 dogs off leash.

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 1. Cormorant

Stranded Marine Mammals

Total stranded mammals: 1. Harbor seal seen approximately 200 yards north from the mouth of the Little Nestuca River along the edge of the dunes. Unsure if it was injured.

Driftline Content

Wood pieces, Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Styrofoam. plastic deck chair in pieces, tire,large rectangular piece of plastic