Mile 303 Report
Oswald West SP, Smuggler Cove, Short Sand Beach
July 22, 2021
Report Details
Conditions
Temperature: 64 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Moderate. Wind Direction: N. Tide Level: 5.7 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 203. Number of dogs: 15. Walking or running: 32. Playing in surf: 25. Playing in sand: 12. Sitting: 71. Photography: 2. Tidepooling: 10. Surfing: 54. Beach was extremely busy today, mostly with surfers.
Concerns
Fire
Apparent violations: One woman with wood-burning fire. Burnt charcoal could be found strewn across the beach in various places..Vehicles
Cars/trucks parking: 22.
Notable Wildlife
The only vertebrate on the mile was a single gull on the beach that was loitering around a man-made mound of sand and rocks, from which the smell of death emanated. The gull stayed in that spot the entire three hours we were there and did not fly away when humans approached. We were only able to make a tentative species identification - an Iceland gull. Pictures included and we contacted the Oregon Fish & Wildlife Services about the rotting smell coming from the burial mound.
Beached Birds
n/a
Driftline Content
Seaweeds and seagrass, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Wood pieces, Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.). Quite a few bird feathers in the driftline. On the northern part of the beach, the driftline was mainly composed of barnacles.
Man-made Modifications
Several medium sized man-made wood structures and many cairns.
Natural Changes
Major cracks appearing in bluffs, Newly exposed roots/trees falling.
A picture of Short Sand Beach from South Beach Access Trail
A gull in the sand on Short Sand Beach, possibly an Iceland Gull, though they are not native to Oregon.
Eroding bluff on the northern half of Short Sand Beach. Bluff was eroding into piles of small, easily breakable rocks.
A better look at the erosion of the bluff in the previous picture. A couple bluffs on the beach were eroding in this manner.
We came across this burial mound after being hit with a very strong smell of rot and death. After trying to look for what was decaying, we figured out it was coming from this mound that is around 5-6 feet in length. Gull was loitering around it.
Trees in the process of falling over due to bluff erosion.
Report Images
shattuckf
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