COASST Surveys
With the exception of a few months, our COASST surveys have continued despite the impact of Covid-19. Certainly, it changed quite a few aspects of how we conduct our surveys. Not the least was establishing our basecamp out of La Push with provided us with a quick 10-minute drive to our trailhead.
The pandemic has had other effects on the COASST program as well. From online training sessions to over-crowded backcountry venues. In the 3 years we’ve been surveying our beach, we’ve never had more than a dozen hikers on our beach And this was during the summer months. This year we had more than 55 hikers on the beach during one of our surveys.
Support
Our mission is a labor of love, but it does come with overhead. If you’d like to support our efforts we’d certainly appreciate it. Currently, we’re actively participating in the following field research:
- COASST Beached Bird Surveys
- Wild and Scenic River Project
Thank you.
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You never know what a simple hike through the woods will yield. Found this small dam in the hills behind our camp on Hood Canal. I'm guessing that at one time it was used by a hometead to hold water during the summer months.
Sunset over Westport.
Some of the lush green and waterfalls to be found on the Olympic Peninsula.
South shore of Dusty Lake just north of Vantage, Washington. We recently spent a night hoping for a shot of the Milky Way. That didn't happen as hoped, but we had quite the adventure nonetheless.
Just published our latest adventure - "A Visit to North Cove" - You can find the link in my bio up top. https://buff.ly/3KFAQB8
Tongue Point on the Strait of Juan de Fuco. This was a negative tide and I’ve never seen so much of the reef exposed.
Never seen the tide so low here at Crescent Bay. Getting ready for this weekends #COASST bird survey.
Theresa doing her best to imidate the North head Lighthouse.
Here's an elevated view of the massive geologic formation on the south side of our Dusty Lakes camp.
Took us a bit to get into Dusty Lake and a one point we were being chase by a thunderstorm, but the views and scenery made up for the hardships.
A rare clear evening out on Washington's coast. The Olympic National Park has miles of coastline to enjoy.
Sunset over the Ginkgo Petrified Forest Interpretive Center. Watch this site as we'll be heading back next week for an extended stay to explore the Ancient Lakes area. #northcentralwashington #ncw #centralwa #columbiagorgeinspiration
Squalls approaching Portage Head. Jason and I found ourselves hunkered down in a tent waiting for a bit of clearing in the morning before heading down the coast in our kayaks.
The old BNSF railroad maintenance shed. It's been torn down to make room for a golf course, but when it was standing, you could still find parts for the trains in labeled bins.
Sunset over the hills of the Columbia River Gorge near Vantage. We'll be heading back there next week...stay tuned.
Sunset over the old gravel dock near Steilacoom. This area abounds with a rich tapestry of history.
La Push
We tried a variety of different spots to base out of with different degrees of success. So when we heard that the Quileute Oceanside Resort had reopened to the public including their campground we were anxious to resume our relationship with this special place.
One of the most conspicuous changes was the new large building under construction high on the hill overlooking the rest of La Push. Apparently, this is to be the new school. Not only will it be out of any tsunami danger but from what we could see, it looks like it will be rather nicely laid out.
The rest of the community looked very much the same and we certainly enjoyed saying hello to familiar staff. The only real disappointment was the neighbors who decided to throw a birthday party for forty from a site designed to hold four. They seemed to be confused between tailgating and camping. The resort did what they could to keep them in check but it was a losing proposition.
It’s nice to see more people enjoying the outdoors. Hopefully, as more and more come to appreciate the benefits and beauty they’ll also want to protect and preserve it as well. Can’t let a few bad apples derail the mission.
