Mile 308 - Arch Cape (community), Asbury Creek - January 1, 2015

Report Details

A fine day to start the New year with a pleasant walk on the beach. Yesterday, New Year's Day, I joined a crowd of perhaps 40 others for the traditional Arch Cape dip in the surf - it was actually enjoyable!There is more plastic debris than usual, from nerdles up to quite large fragments.

Conditions

Temperature: 9 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: 0.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 12. Number of dogs: 3. Walking or running: 12. People walking some with dogs off-leash

Concerns

Litter

Disturbances: Shorebirds moving in response to humans/dogs

Notable Wildlife

35 dead auklets, 5 dead murrres, 1 dead gull, 2 others. (Four days earlier, I found a headless northern fur seal washed in and reported it to the Marine Stranding Network, whose representative removed it.)

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 43. COASST bands on wings of two birds

Stranded Marine Mammals

See above

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

Some large clumps of Nereocystis washed in.

Driftline Content

Seaweeds and seagrass, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Shells, Small rocks, Wood pieces. Much plasztic debris. Large plastic cover(?) with stainless steel fittings, bearing lepadimorph barnacles indicating long ocean

Natural Changes

Landslides/major boulder falls. New slide in front of two houses bearing crumpled stairway.

Actions & Comments

Tarp on slide indicated that property owner is dealing with situation.