Mile 278 - Netarts Spit north - April 7, 2016 | Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition

Report Details

Isolated section of beach with little sign of human influence other than litter. Winter waves have eroded the front edge of the dunes 5-10 feet and exposed previously buried logs. Otherwise, this is a natural looking and unspoiled section of coast.

Conditions

Temperature: 70 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: NW. Tide Level: 6.9 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 2. Walking or running: 2. This mile is isolated and difficult to access so people do not come here often. We saw two walkers in the 2 hours we were there.

Concerns

Apparent violations: None.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 6.

Notable Wildlife

Two flocks of small birds about 20 per flock were pecking and scratching the sand.

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

Unusual concentration. There were quite a few sand shrimp in the debris at the surf line. They may have been the molted shells.

Driftline Content

Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt).

Natural Changes

Erosion of vegetated foredune, Visible retreat of solid bluff.

Actions & Comments

It was obvious the winter storms had eroded the dunes as many large logs jutted out from the dunes. The logs were 6-8 feet below the surface and appeared to have been buried in the past and recently exposed. The end of Netarts Spit had an unusually large amount of stumps, logs and large trees washed up.