Mile 335 - Columbia Beach, Coffenbury Lake, Fort Stevens SP - January 19, 2015

Report Details

Human activity was very light. A beautiful sunny day with no wind. Sand is building up on top of the European beach grass, developing higher dunes.The debris on the beach was shocking. Macro and micro plastics were spread along the entire beach. There was a variety of garbage; bottles, bottle tops, cans,large piece of plastics, wood, paper.No marine mammals sighted. It was devastating to see the among of dead birds. The majority Cassin's auklets. Past news reports indicate starvation or extensive storm activity.

Conditions

Temperature: 52 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Tide Level: 0.2 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 9. Number of dogs: 2. Walking or running: 5. Playing in sand: 3. Other Activities: Clam digging 1.

Concerns

Litter

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 5. Cars/trucks on beach, allowed: 5.

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 32. Enganglement: 5. Only saw one dead seagull; however, I was amazed and saddened by the number (31)of Cassin's auklets. Most body parts were intact except with a number of them you could see the breast plate.

Driftline Content

Seaweeds and seagrass, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Shells, Small rocks, Styrofoam, Wood pieces. Lots of macro and mirco plastics, spread rather evenly. No big piles. Hundreds of items from Japan.

New Development

Bluff development.

Actions & Comments

Collection of garbage from Japan. There were hundreds of items on the beach from Japan. Bottles, caps, plastic laundry basket, jars, and other containers.