Image above:
1916 jetty now sits offshore.
Is there an attitude related to climate change/sea level rise that is used as an excuse to back away from maintaining the shore?
Public access for beach walkers at Damon Point has been on my mind. For a town that promotes visitors, tourism and good times at the beach, things are piss poor over at Damon Point.
Today, beach walkers moving toward the water from the parking area at Damon Point are channeled to a choice between an eroded/unsafe former road drop-off and private property that is posted, telling walkers that they are not welcome. WTF?
Other Parts of the Beach are Maintained Year Round
Think of beach entry points at Chance A La Mer, Pacific Blvd, Ocean Lake Way and Taurus Blvd.
The black top ends and the sand is cleared out of the way on a routine basis. Concerns Re: tsunami zone, global warming, sea level rise, climate crisis, king tides, coastal erosion, El Niño/La Niña and winter storms do not get in the way of keeping things maintained between the blacktop and the beach. Thanks go out to the people who do this work. We appreciate it.
Part one of two in a series:
The Daily World November 1, 2023
Shoreline at full bore: Ocean Shores embarks on effort to save south end
“Read said saltwater is most likely to encroach in two areas: the Damon Point State Park trailhead near the east end of the road, or a few hundred yards to the west at a smaller trail access point. Several times already this year, saltwater has pushed up that trail and into a ditch on the other side of the dunes, which feeds the southern end of the Ocean Shores freshwater canal and lake system.”
No longer here?
My understanding is that there is no longer any state park at Damon Point. Why did WA State Parks let the property go?
Trailhead? Trailheads are attached to trails. Where is the State Park trail out at Damon Point?
Photo below: Nov 12, 2023 – No mention of a State Park
Looks like WA DNR, at some time in the past, took over what once was Damon Point State Park.
From Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
“Damon Point was once Protection Island, a sandy shoal at the mouth of Grays Harbor, separated from the town of Ocean Shores by a channel of water.”
“During this period, Damon Point was a state park, with a paved road extending 2 miles out to the end of the spit.”
“Damon Point was the resting place of the SS Catala, originally recommissioned as a floating hotel in Seattle for the 1962 World’s Fair. It was moved to Ocean Shores and eventually ran aground at Damon Point, greatly contributing to accretion of sediments. The wreckage was finally removed in 2007.”
Ran aground? Was Catala underway prior to beaching?
Feb 5, 2023 blog:
How Was SS Catala Moored at Ocean Shores?
Jetty near Damon Point parking installed in 1916. What has been done to maintain it since then?
Part two of two in a series:
Nov 2, 2023 The Daily World
A 100-year old jetty used to protect Ocean Shores. Can new technologies save its south end?
“In 1916, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the construction of Grays Harbor’s North Jetty, a three mile-long berm of boulders jutting into the Pacific, hugging and holding the entire southern shoreline of Ocean Shores. The body of water now known as Oyhut Bay did not exist.”
“Today, a large remnant of that jetty, roughly 10,000 feet angling to the northeast from the peninsula’s western hoof to the Damon Point parking lot, lies stranded and submerged in the bay, battered by 100 years of bashing saltwater, waves and, once, the impact of an errant fishing boat.”
Jetty installed 100 years ago. If it was important then, why not now?
What was done to maintain this jetty over the past 100 years?
Any questions from newspeople?
Man made structures/one or more jetties installed at the entrance to Grays Harbor have altered the natural migration of sand, not coastal erosion/climate crisis/sea level rise?
“The erosion that you see in Oyhut Bay, and basically the development and expansion of the bay, is part of a very long-term process of the inlet entrance evolving in response to the construction of jetties,” said George Kaminsky, a coastal erosion expert with the Washington state Department of Ecology.
“Another important partner, Martin said, will be the Quinault Indian Nation, which owns the Quinault Marina and RV Park on the east side of the bay.”
“Are we dealing with a natural process? Are we dealing with a partly man made process? Or a combination of both?”
The article above has some excellent images, showing the original jetty and what has changed since the first image was taken in 1942.
From Washington Rural Heritage:
Ocean Shores Marina, Ocean Shores, Washington, circa 1960s
An excellent aerial photo (click upper right to enlarge).
This photo shows the jetty facing Westport. Grays Harbor does not encroach inland of the jetty.
Today, this is the same location.
Late 2023 – Reaction Mode
Dec 8, 2023 The Daily World
Sacrificial sand: Berm to hold off waves in Ocean Shores, for now
City starts work on emergency erosion solution to protect infrastructure on southern shoreline
By Clayton Franke
“…action to stop, or at least slow, the waves that have washed away 3,000 feet of beach in the last four decades, scouring what’s now known as Oyhut Bay.”
“Located about a half mile west of the Damon Point trailhead, the sand is piled on the pale dune grasses just above the sandy beach.”
Random thoughts and questions:
This is an emergency and the waves washed away 3,000 feet of beach in the last four decades?
What was done to maintain the original (now offshore) jetty?
Trailhead? Maybe call it a former trailhead, unless it links to a trail out there today.
No longer Here – Ferry to Westport – Fell Apart on the Ocean Shores Side
Ocean Shores to Westport: Remembering the El Matador Ferry
By Douglas Scott
Separated by less than two miles as the crow flies, traveling between Westport and Ocean Shores should be a quick excursion, but the drive is an hour long between the two seaside towns.
“Sadly, the ferry service shut down in 2008, but not due to lack of popularity. While the ferry service had seen closures in previous years, the service would always pick back up and be celebrated by residents and visitors alike. Sadly, after too much sand and silt built up around the Ocean Shores marina, the El Matador was forced to cancel trips across the harbor. What was once a family-friendly boating experience and adventure across the harbor is now relegated to fond memories.”
Imagine telling the fishing boat captains over at Westport that their access to a 100 year old armor-plated harbor was going to be let go because too much sand and silt built up around the marina.
Any federal money for ports and coastal improvement?
Plenty of cash for Ukraine/undeclared/unwon wars and here is what you get back home:
$6.3 million in federal cash for a used Ocean Shores hotel.
Any questions from newspeople?
December 8, 2022 The Daily World
Dept. of Ag invests $6.3M to purchase Ocean Shores hotel
$6.3 million “to fund the acquisition of an existing hotel. Marathon Enterprises Inc. is located in Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor County, Washington. The project is expected to result in saving eight jobs and creating one full time job.”
Zero questions from small or large newspapers. Zero questions from TV newspeople.
Ports and coastal improvement:
Oct. 9, 2020 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters Website
About the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
“One of the Seattle District’s primary missions is to maintain the navigation channels and harbors in the Pacific Northwest. Maintenance and navigation dredging is done frequently in harbor areas, ports and marinas. A significant component of Washington’s economy depends on navigation and commerce, which in turn depends on dredging navigation channels.”
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects roll on. We appreciate the work you do.
Love to see the press head over to Westport and give some credit where credit is due.
Related:
Less Than Two Miles As The Crow Flies – Ocean Shores Marina History
Ocean Shores Marina History – A Time Gone By
98569 Coastal Erosion Attitudes