Marine Debris Survey

Entrance to the Cape Cove Trail.\Photo by Tara Dubois.

A monthly marine debris survey and clean-up is conducted at Cove Beach, just south of Cape Perpetua.  To participate, meet at the Cove Beach Trail entrance on Hwy 101 (about three miles south of Yachats and the second pullout on the west side of the highway north of the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center) at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 9, to start the survey—the group will walk down to the beach from there.  Sturdy shoes are recommended, as there is a steep path to the beach.  Equipment and instruction will be provided.  The survey will take about two hours.

CoastWatch, which leads coastwide marine debris monitoring for the Oregon coast using a national protocol from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as part of the state’s Marine Debris Action Plan, supports the Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve Collaborative in conducting the survey at this site.  The data goes into a national database kept by NOAA.

The team will survey 100 yards of Cape Cove Beach. This includes flat sandy beach, wood debris, cobble rocks and lava rock. Most of the debris is located in the rocky and woody areas. After the survey, participants will collect their finds, sort and document. The plastic items are kept for re-use in various projects. If you have your own bucket and gloves, please bring them with you. Bags will be on hand to use if needed.

Volunteers are always needed, and visitors are also welcome to join in to learn about the marine debris monitoring process, perhaps to carry the knowledge to another area to start up a new monitoring team.

These surveys are citizen science efforts that make a contribution to scientific studies of the origins and impacts of such debris by helping to provide baseline data.  They also help to clean up the stretches of shoreline where they occur.

For more information about this survey, contact Tara Dubois at capeperpetuacommunications@gmail.com.