Mile 300 - Manzanita Beach, Manzanita, Neahkahnie Beach - October 26, 2023

Report Details

Mile 300 is a very busy stretch of Manzanita beach. The end of the main street in town, Laneda Avenue, is part of the mile, so most visitors to Manzanita that go on the beach will walk a portion of Mile 300. Evidence of beach fires (many using driftwood) are all up and down the mile, and dog walkers inadvertently abandon waste bags often. Due to it being the fall, today we saw mostly dog walkers and only a few people sitting. There are two streams (or wastewater flows?) that empty onto mile 300. Plastic debris was heavily concentrated at the southern stream near Treasure Cove Lane which is gated for vehicles to enter the beach, though only offical Parks vehicles are allowed on the beach. The wrack line is large, with many tide lines of drift covering the majority of the beach. Kelp, small plastics and trash, crab shells, molts, sea jellies and parts of jellies, very small wood chips, broken sand dollars, rocks and other shells made up the wrack line. There are certain very large driftwood logs that have been present for years, and then others that come and go.

Conditions

Temperature: 50 F. Cloud Cover: Partly Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: SW. Tide Level: 8.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 36. Number of dogs: 19. Walking or running: 26. Playing in sand: 4. Sitting: 4. Surfing: 2. A quiet fall Thursday. Most folks walking their dogs & enjoying the dry day & moody skies. One family with the parents sitting in chairs reading, & kids playing in the sand. Another couple hanging out on a very large driftwood log. Otherwise, everyone was walking.

Notable Wildlife

A large bumblebee on the dry sand.

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 6. 1 very small Common Murre chick. 5 Northern Fulmar.

Driftline Content

Small rocks, Seaweeds and seagrass, Shells, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Wood pieces, Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Styrofoam, Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.). Several different lines of drift up and down the beach. Small plastics, shells, styrofoam, etc. embedded in kelp.

Natural Changes

Evidence of wave overtopping. There was very big surf last week and there is larger marine debris in the dune grass. Large hunks of old foam buoy bits, cups and water bottles.

Actions & Comments

We removed the debris and put in the trash and took to recycling.

Report Images

Schwegmann

CoastWatcher

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