Mile 289 - Kincheloe Point, South Jetty Tillamook River - June 21, 2015

Report Details

The solstice skies were gray due to marine stratus. Sand and then more sand is the story of this survey. This mile has been accreting sand in recent years. The trend continues with new a new foredune being created and 3 to 6 feet dunes in the dry sand area.This is unusual for Tillamook County beaches. I suspect that the source of all of this sand is the landslide at the base of Cape Meares. It is an historic slide area, but in recent years it has become much more active. The road up to the lighthouse is now closed due to the slide activity. The soft material easily breaks up and nourishes Bayocean Spit. The south jetty seems to trap the sand. The north side of Tillamook bay is short of sand.

Conditions

Temperature: 60 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: SW. Tide Level: 4.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 2. Walking or running: 1. Other Activities: 1 on bicycle. Did note both ATV and full-sized vehicle tracks. Hopefully they were legitimate state park/NANOOS vehicles.

Concerns

Apparent violations: none.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 8.

Notable Wildlife

dozen or so gulls near surf. a bald eagle flew overhead.

Beached Birds

On our COASST survey on Mile 286 a few days ago, there were 3 birds found. Pretty low number especially after winter's Cassin's Auklet wreck.

Driftline Content

Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.), Shells, Small rocks, Wood pieces. mostly eel grass.

Natural Changes

sand accretion