Mile 327 Report
Clatsop Plains
June 17, 2021
A quiet, cloudy morning walk on the southern end of mile 327 reveals considerable trash from human activities around fire pits on the dry sand area above the high tide line.
Report Details
A quiet, cloudy morning walk on the southern end of mile 327 reveals considerable trash from human activities around fire pits on the dry sand area above the high tide line. We removed 15 pounds of trash in a SOLV bag and left at mile marker 5, Del Rey beach access entrance road (where the concentration of trash was highest). Notable wildlife sightings: 9 brown pelicans and 2 turkey vulture feathers.
Conditions
Temperature: 60 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: 2.3 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 10. Number of dogs: 1. Walking or running: 10. Other Activities: Quiet morning on Del Rey beach with a few runners and dog walkers.. A few parked cars on the beach. Access road to Del Rey has been recently graded and is very good for vehicle access.
Concerns
Litter
Vehicles
ATVs/OHVs parking: 1. Cars/trucks on beach, allowed: 4.
Notable Wildlife
Heard/saw the following bird species: great blue heron, red-tailed hawk, 9 brown pelicans, savannah sparrow, brown-cow bird, American goldfinch, American crows, barn swallow, violet-green swallows, and Northern harrier hunting over the dunes.
Driftline Content
Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Land-based debris (picnics, etc.). We removed 15 pounds of trash from the southern half of our mile (0.5 mile distance). Notable trash items were mostly land-based including food wrappers, plastic bottles/caps, cigarette butts, lighters, teal green rope, a rusted grate (photo below), 2 black disposable masks, a sock, a glove, and 4 tennis balls.
Man-made Modifications
Sand removal. Del Rey Beach access road has been graded and is well-maintained for safe vehicle access.
Actions & Comments
Highest concentration of land-based litter was along Del Rey Access road leading to the beach.
Brown Pelicans
Metal rusted grate washed up on the beach
Looking north of Del Rey Access road with receding tide (mid-tide)
Report Images
sultanym
CoastWatcher
All Mile 327 Reports
Mile 327
Clatsop Plains
A morning walk on mile 327 revealed 3 species of kelp: chain bladder kelp, bull kelp, and rockweed, and some interesting invertebrates: purple mahogany clam (Nuttallia) and pelagic gooseneck barnacles attached to a plastic soap pump bottle.
sultanym
Mile 327
Clatsop Plains
A late afternoon walk on mile 327 revealed three species of kelp washed up on the wrack line: bull kelp, sea palm, and giant kelp, and three species of dead avifauna: Common murre, Northern fulmar, and rhinocerus auklet.
sultanym
Mile 327
Clatsop Plains
A morning walk on mile 327 on July 5th revealed a significant amount of human trash from the fourth of July festivities on the beach, including hundreds of fireworks, abundant single-use plastics, and many food containers/food waste.
sultanym
Mile 327
Clatsop Plains
A cloudy yet mild afternoon walk on mile 327 revealed an interesting diversity of arthropod species in the wrack line: Say's Stink Bug, Large Yellow Underwing, 61 Serrated Darkling Beetles, and ladybird beetles (Coccinella and Hippodamia).
sultanym
Mile 327
Clatsop Plains
A quiet, cloudy morning walk on the southern end of mile 327 reveals considerable trash from human activities around fire pits on the dry sand area above the high tide line.
sultanym
Mile 327
Clatsop Plains
Today was a welcome respite from the recent heavy rain, high winds, and stormy weather that accompanied the King tides of Jan.
sultanym
Mile 327
Clatsop Plains
Mid-morning walk south towards Gearhart beach at a very high tide along the tide line I saw a dead Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) carcass with bands on its legs.
sultanym
