Mile 288 Report
Bayocean Peninsula, Kincheloe Point
June 19, 2004
Human activity, possibly illegal, was noticeable on this late spring trip.
Report Details
Human activity, possibly illegal, was noticeable on this late spring trip. Camping, possibly parking overnight, and setting of fires were all in evidence. The question is how much does Tillamook County allow on the Bayocean Spit and does it enforce its rules?
Conditions
Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: W.
Human Activities
Number of people: 4. Walking or running: 4. Other Activities: Camping, bicycling, gathering driftwood. Observed two sets of people camping. This was a first. One couple appeared to be camping on the beach, above the high tide line. they were gathering driftwood, but had made no fires.A different group (didn't observe the people) had a tent in the dunes above the high tide line. They had some kind of fire going because there was smoke rising from the area of the tent. I could not see if the smoke came from a stove or an open fire.Apparently Tillamook County now allows camping on the Bayocean Spit. However, no fires are allowed in the dune area so the smoke I saw came from a seemingly illegal use of fire.
Concerns
Driftwood removal, Fire
Vehicles
Stranded Marine Mammals
Total stranded mammals: 1. Harbor seal, seen on the bay side of the spit.
Actions & Comments
I have concern about people camping. As I left the parking area around 9:30 PM, there were still 7 vehicles in the parking lot. People in a couple of the vehicles appeared to be staying overnight, although a sign indicated this is prohibited. Others were probably camping although I only saw two sets of campers. My concern is about how much Tillamook County enforces its rules on the Spit.
All Mile 288 Reports
Mile 288
Bayocean Peninsula, Kincheloe Point
Mile 288 showed no signs of man-made disturbance, and no one was on-site during my monitoring. I was glad to see a flock of plovers flying in the foredune again!
KMS
Mile 288
Bayocean Peninsula, Kincheloe Point
It was an incredibly busy day for Mile 288 the day before the snowy plover nesting season began! I was glad to see DOGAMI and OPRD on-site, and appreciated OPRD's willingness to haul the debris I collected back to their dumpsters. It was also exciting to see so many plovers in the wet sand.
Karen Schank
Mile 288
Bayocean Peninsula, Kincheloe Point
The weather is definitely turning.
SchankK
Mile 288
Bayocean Peninsula, Kincheloe Point
It was a beautifully calm, warm, sunny day along mile 288.
SchankK
Mile 288
Bayocean Peninsula, Kincheloe Point
There were 6 or more plovers and large accumulations of driftwood (both along the base and on top of the foredune cutbank).
SchankK
Mile 288
Bayocean Peninsula, Kincheloe Point
It was a beautiful, warm, sunny Saturday with a moderate north wind.
SchankK
Mile 288
Bayocean Peninsula, Kincheloe Point
It was great to see two separate families picking up beach trash/debris in the driftline from the most recent storms including in Mile 288!
SchankK
Mile 288
Bayocean Peninsula, Kincheloe Point
There was clear indications of active foredune erosion with visible cutbanks (see photo) and significant debris.
SchankK