Beaches: Change is a Constant!

Beach 3-33 (FMR) Tide 0.5' Feb 2, 2012

©FMSA

I volunteer for FMSA (Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association) part of NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) in a program called Beach Watch (BW). I'm part of a team that surveys beaches in the Sanctuary area from Point Reyes to Ano Nuevo on a bi-monthly basis. My main beach is a series of 4 contiguous beaches that make up Fitzgerald Marine Reserve (FMR) in Moss Beach, California. Part of the duties of a BW volunteer is to count and identify all live bird species and marine mammals as well as any other animal found on the beach. Also all dead birds, marine mammals and other species are identified and documented. If there is an unusual find or observation the appropriate organizations are notified such as The California Academy of Sciences and the Marine Mammal Center (MMC). BW volunteers most importantly are on a vigilant look out for signs of oil from natural seeps as well as oil spills. This is critical in bringing action against the responsible parties.

Beach 3-33 (FMR) Tide 2.2' June 1, 2008

©FMSA

A common observation by BW volunteers is how their particular beach dramatically changes from month to month. Of course tide effects are an obvious force for change as beaches range from wide expanses at low tide to impassible sections during high tides. The deposition of sand is another factor that is constantly changing and sculpting the beaches. Other factors are rock slides, erosion and beach retreat. To illustrate this point I've chosen beach 3-33 in the FMR located about 1 mile south of The Moss Beach Distillery restaurant. The photo dated Feb 2, 2012 shows the south boundary of 3-33 looking north. The tide is fairly low and there are only small rocks present on this beach so traversing it is fairly easy. I should note that about 3/4 of a mile further north is Distillery Point. There are large boulders in this area and it is very difficult to maneuver thru this section. So to see 3-33 as above is a relief, knowing there is some easy going before the difficult Distillery Point area.

Beach 3-33, Tide 1.4' October 12, 2012

©FMSA

The photo dated June 1, 2008 shows the same beach after much sand has disappeared exposing many rocks and boulders. It's not an easy trek thru this kind of rock field as one has to be constantly aware of  ones footing. This makes the survey more difficult but it's not as bad as it can get. Adding algae to the mix makes this down right treacherous. Algae appears the time of year that sand is minimal July-October and the rocks and boulders are exposed.  Now  rocks are covered in slippery algae in some cases just coating the rocks and in others algae is several feet deep above the rocks.

Beach 3-33 Tide 2.2' Sept 14, 2011

©FMSA

As can be seen in the distance are some very high cliffs that are continuously retreating, which is a nice word for crumbling onto the beach. Often time in this area due to rocks, boulders, and the tide line, we are forced to traverse closer toward the cliff face. The cliffs are constantly sloughing and sometimes significant rock falls occur. Needless to say it's a hazardous area and we try not to dally there but pass by as quickly as possible. Did I mention this is a volunteer job?

Beach 3-33 Tide -1.3' May 17, 2010

©FMSA

Photo dated May 17, 2010 shows the beach at a low tide of -1.3 feet. Plenty of sand is apparent and off to the left is northern outer portions of Frenchman's Reef. To the right can be seen a recent rock-fall.

The final photo Feb 4, 2010 shows a very large recent slide that nearly blocked the whole beach. BW volunteers in the foreground are Jack Sutton and Melissa Dubose. Further in the back ground is BW volunteer Peter White.

 

Beach 3-33 Tide 0.8' Feb 4, 2010

©FMSA

Back Yard Bird Lists



Great-horned Owl

Like many birders, I’ve just started documenting a back yard bird list for my house in Moss Beach, California. I’m pleased to report after 2 years in this location I have 74 bird species so far. My good friend Pete of Martinez California also has 74 bird species for his location. We are in a friendly completion and are currently in a dead heat.



Back yard bird counts usually involve counts made from a specific point, residence, gallery, or business. One such location is the resident quarters at the Farallones Islands which as of 2010 has a bird species count of 360. This is believed to be the most prolific in the United States. Paul Leham of New Jersey claims 300 + at his residence. The Farallones Islands have been criticized because the count is compiled by many individuals keeping records over a long time frame. However Peter Pyle a biologist who spent significant time at the Farallones claims 324 species documented by him alone on his visits to the Farallones.





#74 Hooded Oriole 5/3/13

# 73 Western Tanager 5/2/13

So my 74 species count is pretty modest in relationship to other bird spots, but it’s always fun to add a new bird to the list. Most of the birds on my list are common birds found in this area, Brewer’s Black Birds, House finches and sparrows, Scrub Jays, Dark-eyed Juncos, Mourning Doves, California Quail and Ravens. Some of the slightly unusual birds have been an Osprey, Kestrel, Killdeer and my favorite occasional visitor, Great-horned Owl. Some of the recent additions have been Cedar Waxwings, a Hooded Oriole and a beautiful Western Tanager.

 





North Point Beach

Seal haul-out North Point Beach

North Point Beach is located in San Mateo County and is the north border of the Año Nuevo  State Park. This beach is not open to the public because the north end of the beach is occupied by many Northern Elephant Seals. The access to this beach is via highway 1 onto an about 3/4 mile dirt road. The road leads to a small compound including a house that was until recently occupied by a ranger. The ranger retired and now the property sits with no occupants.

In the picture to the left a number of female Northern Elephant seals are basking on the beach with  Año Nuevo Island and it's structures in the back-ground.
Año Nuevo State Park,in San Mateo County, preserves and protects the scenic, biological, ecological, and cultural values of the central California coastline, including Año Nuevo Island and properties on the western slope of the coast range inland from Año Nuevo Point. The park protects and interprets the pinniped rookeries, a prime resource, and significant wildlife habitats on Año Nuevo Island and the mainland. It also contains sensitive native dunes and coastal terrace prairie habitats, and a diversity of inland plant communities, including old growth forest, freshwater marsh, red alder riparian forest and knobcone pine forest. Its four perennial streams support steelhead trout and coho salmon, and its wetlands are habitat to the rare San Francisco garter snake and red-legged frog. Cultural resources include the remnants of Native California Indian Ohlone occupation of the area and a number of structures from the nineteenth century Cascade Ranch and historic Steele Ranch. In conjunction with adjacent and nearby public lands, the unit protects important regional ecological corridors and linkages.

North Point from northern boundary looking south to Ano Nuevo Island

Ranger House North Point

Boats Stuck on Land

The Jade Canoe

Grounded Boat Ocean Beach

On Monday August 4th the 37 foot fishing boat Paloma ran aground at Ocean Beach just south of Seal Rock in San Francisco, California. The Captain Timothy Lybrand apparently safely swam ashore but cannot be located. It appears Mr Lybrand has a $75,000 warrant out on him.

Ocean Beach  8/4/14 Paloma

Wrecked Boat Francis Beach

On Wednesday 3/13/13 a fisherman beached a boat off of Francis Beach in Half Moon Bay. When I checked it on Saturday it was severly smashed apart. The captain had recently purchased this boat at a lein sale in Pillar Point Harbor. He anchored off of Francis Beach to do some repair. He was arrested by police and later released.

Francis Beach 3/15/13

Here is  collection of boats stuck on land, mostly old and in bad shape. Many were photographed at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, California. During winter month storms, some boats start to sink in the harbor. Others are abandoned. Rather than allow them to sink in the docks, they are towed to the beach area so that they can be easily accessed from land. Very few are saved, most are broken apart piece by piece and hauled away.

The Darling Aground

Rigging The Pull

Pacifica Drama (3/4/13)

Living on the coast you can expect drama on a regular basis, most involving fools and boats.  The 80 foot 2.8 million dollar sail boat Darling pictured here was stolen from Salsalito by 3 pirate wannabes!  They ran the yacht aground in Pacifica a short time later. This of course made the news and the Coast Guard set up a rescue unaware the vessel had been stolen. The owner of the Darling caught the news and recognized his boat, and called police. The police with guns drawn persuaded the trio to surrender and promptly put them in the local hoosegow. Inside the boat was littered with beer cans and pizza boxes.

A landing craft type salvage boat was sent in at high tide in an attempt to pull the boat free. After much tugging the tow line snapped and as of about 5pm the Darling is still grounded!



Failed Attempt

3/5/13 Up-date:  The Darling was finally freed by a tug boat about 3 am and towed to Richmond California for repairs.

3/7/13 Update: Two of the 3 people arrested for this heist were released today. A couple in their mid 50's told police that the 3rd paerty told them it was his boat, they had no idea it was stolen...............humm!

Shallow Water 10 FT Keel

Fjord Queen II Aground

The Fjord Queen II ran aground on Saturday  night October 13th 2012 at Ross's Cove, just around the corner from the Mavericks surf break near Pillar Point Harbor.  The captain was sailing the vessel alone and swam safely to shore. The boat was carrying a large haul of Albacore Tuna. Unfortunately this is not an uncommon occurrence along the treacherous waters of central California!



Fjord Queen II 10/13/12

5 Abandoned Boats Pillar Point Harbor

1/25/2011 This day 5 boats were abandoned at Pillar Point Harbor, California. A catamaran (Quickstep) 3 sailboats (2 unnamed, another named Fruedian Slip), plus an old Cabin Crusier type. Three days later all were broken up and hauled away except the cruiser.

Five Abandoned Boats 1/25/11

Phyllis J Beached 

Phyllis J. A crab fishing boat flipped on its side in the surf at Francis State Beach Half Moon Bay California early Tuesday morning, January 5th 2011, sending three crew members scrambling to the beach. All three men were reportedly uninjured. It seems that after many hours on the ocean, the crew fell asleep and thus ran aground. This boat was salvaged at least partly as it sits in dry dock in Princeton to this day over 2 years after the mishap!


Phyllis J 1/5/11

Tsunami Santa Cruz

On March 11th 2011 a Tsunami from Japan's 9.0 Earthquake arrive on the West Coast of the United States. Because of Santa Cruz's harbor geometry, 100 vessels were damaged and 18 were sunk. This photo taken on March 14th shows one of the recovered boats.





Tsunami Aftermath Santa Cruz, California
3/15/11





More Beached Boats Pillar Point Harbor

December 2009: The Josie C fishing vessel and an unknown sailboat.

July 2009: The Gamecock Fishing boat.

September 2006: Two fishing boats, Red Boy and unknown.

2006: Fishing Boat Sailboat Pillar Point Harbor

2003: Four boats are beached at Pillar Point Harbor,California,  the Veda M, the Bear, a sailboat just next to the Bear and unnamed boat.



Josie C Fishing Boat and Sail Boat 12/2009

Queen Charlott Islands, Canada
October 2007



Gamecock July 2009

Two fishing boats, Red Boy and unknown. September 2006

Fishing Boat Sailboat 2006
Pillar Point Harbor

Four Beached Boats  April 2003

Pacifica Drama

The Darling Aground

Rigging The Pull

Living on the coast you can expect drama on a regular basis, most involving fools and boats.  The 80 foot 2.8 million dollar sail boat Darling pictured here was stolen from Salsalito by 3 pirate wannabes!  They ran the yacht aground in Pacifica a short time later. This of course made the news and the Coast Guard set up a rescue unaware the vessel had been stolen. The owner of the Darling caught the news and recognized his boat, and called police. The police with guns drawn persuaded the trio to surrender and promptly put them in the local hoosegow. Inside the boat was littered with beer cans and pizza boxes.

A landing craft type salvage boat was sent in at high tide in an attempt to pull the boat free. After much tugging the tow line snapped and as of about 5pm the Darling is still grounded!



Failed Attempt

3/5/13 Up-date:  The Darling was finally freed by a tug boat about 3 am and towed to Richmond California for repairs.

3/7/13 Update: Two of the 3 people arrested for this heist were released today. A couple in their mid 50's told police that the 3rd paerty told them it was his boat, they had no idea it was stolen...............humm!

Shallow Water 10 FT Keel

Army of out of Control John Henry's



John Henry

We are at a transition point where fossil fuel energy has to give way to green forms of energy such as solar, wind and hydrogen. If mankind were smart and not greedy, this could be a significant period of conservation and energy planning for the future. We need to squeeze the efficiency levels of hybrid, electrical and internal combustion to the maximum as a bridge to the future technologies.  However this is not happening and does not appear to be on any near future agendas.  Rather than face the reality of a finite resource life, energy companies are hell bent on using them up as if they will be perpetually replenished. They are in denial of an end game for fossil fuels and they are supported by the politicians they buy off. They are an army of out of control John Henrys hammering this planet to destruction.

Having worked in the engineering field it is clear to me that given enough money and resources just about anything can be conceived and constructed.  Yes, we can drill miles under our oceans but should we?  We can push high pressure fluids deep into the ground over vast regions; are we that desperate?

What’s up with blowing the tops off of mountains, are we insane? There is no respect for the environment, the animal and plant life that occupy it, the people who live here now or the future generations.  Is it just greed or some form of personality disorder or religious indoctrination?

I wrote an article in a previous blog post titled Climate Change is a Sub-set of Global Destruction. http://wildbayarea.blogspot.com/2011/12/climate-change-is-subset-of-global.html

I noticed both side of the Climate Change debate try to spin scientific data in such a way as to favor their point. Liars always figure, figures never lie best seem to sum up this tactic. My point is the scientific data does not even need to be examined. The planetary destruction that is unfolding before our very eyes is graphic evidence that we are f***ing up this planet big time.  There are 5 garbage pits or ocean gyres the size of states choking our oceans.    Mountain Top Removal Mining has destroyed 500 Appalachian Mountains, decimated 1 million acres of forest and has buried 2000 miles of streams. You don’t need scientific data, just look! The list goes on.

I would like to point out 1 mathematical phenomenon that seems to be over looked or ignored in the Climate Change debate. I’m talking about exponential equations that describe what happens to a physical system once it goes non-linear.  I hear the temperature of the earth has risen 0.8 degrees Celsius over a period of time and that if it increases at the same rate it will be 2.0 degrees Celsius higher in a certain future year. This is a linear projection but not necessarily a good model for such a complex chemical and thermal system as the atmosphere. Examples of exponential growth are found in nuclear chain reactions and bacterial growth. I don’t believe if we continue to damage the planet as we are doing today that temperature will stay linear or atmospheric chemistry will stay linear. We will reach a tipping point and be hurled towards infinity and out of existence.

So here we are in front row seats watching an army of out of control John Henry’s sledge our children’s future into oblivion.

John Henry's captain said to him:
"I believe these mountains are caving in. John Henry said to his captain: "Oh, Lord!"
"That's just my hammer sucking wind."

Rounding up Leopard Sharks

I was at Pillar Point Harbor today when a group of about 12 people showed up carrying some strange equipment including a small row boat and a very long specialized looking net. Since the bird activity was quiet I decided to watch this group and see what was up. They rowed the boat out into the harbor and about 6 or so people walked and swam in the water and guided the net in a semi-circle and started pulling it toward shore.

Leopard Shark and Researcher

Finally when it was all the way in, low and behold it contained 5 Leopard Sharks from about 1 foot to 3 feet long. They quickly measured them and did other test including sexing them and then released them. I did not talk to anyone as they seemed occupied in their tasks. When I got home, I noticed RTC Marine Ops on the back of one of the vests. Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies. Marine Operations supports San Francisco State University students, faculty, and staff in conducting marine research by providing research vessels, oceanographic sampling equipment, operator training and field logistics support.

Now I wished I had talked to them.

I’m amazed at what lies just below the surface invisible to most people. I’ve been out there for years and never saw a shark. Occasionally  I’ve seen a Bat Ray.

 

Side note: While attempting this post it's abundantly clear the Blogger interface is horrible.



RTC Researchers

 

 

Leopard Sharks Netted

Leopard Shark