Mile 259 Report
Nestucca Spit State Park, Kiwanda Beach
August 30, 2020
It was a pleasant, sunny day with well-separated groups of people--including young children--just relaxing on the beach.
Report Details
It was a pleasant, sunny day with well-separated groups of people--including young children--just relaxing on the beach. There were more people than usual on this beach, but I had expected even more given the crowds of folks coming to the coast this summer. I thought that I might find some problems with litter, fires, or campers, but the beach was very clean and seemed problem-free.
Conditions
Temperature: 55 F. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: NW. Tide Level: 4.0 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 50. Number of dogs: 10. Walking or running: 10. Playing in sand: 8. Sitting: 30. Fishing: 1. Other Activities: A group of about 10 people on horseback were just exiting the beach at the far end of the mile as I got to the beach. I could just barely see them, and there could have been more already out of sight. I am sure this was a group from the stable in Pacific City that offers guided rides to the public.. The vehicle count included 3 motorcycles not designed for off-road use. Given the unually high number of vehicles in the parking lot, I thought I would find the beach more crowded than I did. There were small groups of what I assumed were families or friends that were in "bubbles" that did not require facemasks, and I did not approach any of them to see whether or not any masks were being used. The groups were spaced well apart from each other..
Concerns
Vehicles
Beached Birds
Total dead birds: 1. The one beached bird was a commun murre just off of the surf zone. I assumed that it had just recently washed ashsore.
Driftline Content
Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt). The beach was very clean--as good as I have ever seen it.
New Development
No changes or problems observed.
Man-made Modifications
No propblems noted. Most of this mile is within Bob Straub State Park.
Natural Changes
Everything looked in good shape--lots of sand, and the slope of the foredune on the ocean side was gentle--as expected this time of year.
All Mile 259 Reports
Mile 259
Nestucca Spit State Park, Kiwanda Beach
The day we visited the beach was busier than what it has been.
JGEMS
Mile 259
Nestucca Spit State Park, Kiwanda Beach
extreme cliff/dune erosion from recent King Tides
Linda Fink
Mile 259
Nestucca Spit State Park, Kiwanda Beach
It was a sunny and beautiful day at the coast.
Polaris Polaris
Mile 259
Nestucca Spit State Park, Kiwanda Beach
We were not able to walk the entire mile, but we could see down the beach.
Mike Weddle
Mile 259
Nestucca Spit State Park, Kiwanda Beach
This was the first trip for JGEMS for this beach with Jesse Jones from Coastwatch and Patricia McBride from the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
JGEMS
Mile 259
Nestucca Spit State Park, Kiwanda Beach
Overall a very clean and beautiful coastline.
Polaris
Mile 259
Nestucca Spit State Park, Kiwanda Beach
It was a pleasant, sunny day with well-separated groups of people--including young children--just relaxing on the beach.
powston1
Mile 259
Nestucca Spit State Park, Kiwanda Beach
From my perspective on horseback, the beach looked in great shape and was being used by visitors just like a beach should be on a nice summer day.
powston1