Ocean view hikes

The other day I wrote about what to do while staying at The Craftsman B&B, it was mostly driving and a little hiking, unless you ventured out to the end of Cape Lookout. Today will be more hiking and less driving as we point you south of Pacific City towards bluffs overlooking the ocean. Then to a short beach adventure.

Head out to highway 101 and turn right toward Lincoln City. About 2 miles down, turn in to the Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The road leads you to the first, overflow parking lot and a gate. Go through the gate and follow the narrow road up the hill to the second lot. Here you can park and take the short hike on the trail up to the viewing platform near the top of the hill. Watch for songbirds in the grasses as you work your way up to the platform. Binoculars are good to have, but you will still see birds. Watch the tree groves as well for hawks resting on the outer branches. On the platform you get great views of Cape Kiwanda, Haystack Rock and the Nestucca Bay.

The next hike to the Nature Conservancy Trail in the headland meadows is further south on 101. You will drive through Neskowin and over the summit of Cascade Head. Then at the base of the hill, turn right on Three Rocks Road for 2.2 miles and turn left to the parking lot of the Savage Park boat ramp.

The lower Nature Conservancy Trail is a moderate 4.2-mile hike, gaining 1200 feet of elevation. Let’s head out, the trail crosses Three Rocks Road and traverses the woods above Savage Road. Just into the hike, ignore a side path to the left that leads to an old trail head. The main trail climbs through a forest of large, gnarled spruce to a meadow with a breathtaking view across the Salmon River estuary. In the distance are Cape Foulweather and Lincoln City's Devils Lake. Then the path steepens and climbs to an upper viewpoint, the recommended turnaround spot.

Cascade Head information:
Cascade Head is the tip of a 300-mile-long Columbia River basalt lava flow that erupted near Idaho about 15 million years ago and puddled up at the seashore here. The panoramic bluff-top wildflower meadows were threatened by commercial development in the 1960s, but fans of the wild headland rallied to purchase the fragile area and donate it to the non-profit Nature Conservancy for preservation. Ironically, the impact of up to 10,000 nature-loving visitors a year now threatens the meadows' ecology. As a result, two of the trailheads are closed for six months of each year, pets are banned, and hikers are urged to stay on existing trails. Flower picking, hunting, camping, fires, bicycles, and dogs are banned at Cascade Head. The easy, upper trailhead to the headland meadows is closed six months of the year to protect threatened Oregon silver spot butterfly caterpillars. Even if you hike here from the lower trailhead (open all year), please stay on the trail. Even spreading out a picnic may inadvertently trample the meadow's rare checker mallows, 5-petaled pink wildflowers, or the violets that serve as food for the rare caterpillars. In summer expect white yarrow, plumes of goldenrod, tall pink foxglove, and Indian paintbrush.

Back in the car to highway 101 and head north to Neskowin Beach and Proposal Rock. Turn left into this tiny village and work your way west and south on the roads to the beach. Proposal Rock is where you are headed, be prepared to get your feet wet as a creek runs through the center of this beach. Named for a turn-of-the-century marriage proposal here, this tall, near-shore monolith at Neskowin Beach is a great place for a short walk to and around, if tide permits. Walking to the south at low tide and you will see the remains of the ghost forest. Buried until the December Storm of 2008 when unusually high winds and surf eroded the beach to uncover the long lost forest. Be smart out here, sneaker waves and the incoming tide have claimed many lives at this beach!

Head back to 101 north to Pacific City, I'll will be waiting for your return. Will you need a bottle of bubbles to celebrate a proposal?  I look forward to your recap of the hikes, being an upland bird dog, I'm not allowed on preserve land.

One of the rarest wild goose populations has a new wintering ground.

Here is an update on a blog I wrote last fall, you can read that here.

Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge has been selected to receive $800,000 from a federal land conservation fund to acquire 80 acres of pasture land that is one of just two wintering sites used by the entire world population of the Semidi Islands Aleutian cackling goose, which numbers only about 140 birds. The parcel is located just north of Pacific City.

The Nature Conservancy's initial purchase of the property, the Martella Farm just a mile North of The Craftsman B&B, was done in a timely manner while the US Fish & Wildlife Service worked to secure funding to purchase it from the Conservancy, without profit, and add it to the refuge.

“Acquiring this land for inclusion in the refuge is essential to the long-term protection of the Semidi birds, as it will permanently protect one of their most important wintering sites,” said Roy Lowe, project leader of the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which includes the Nestucca Bay Refuge. “Providing long-term secure wintering habitat for Aleutian cackling geese was one of the main reasons the refuge was established.”

“This property was a top national priority for addition to a refuge because its habitat is so critical for the remaining Aleutian cackling geese,” said Russell Hoeflich, Oregon director for The Nature Conservancy. “We congratulate the Fish and Wildlife Service for this refuge addition and thank them for doing an excellent job of protecting the incredible natural diversity of the Oregon coast for future generations.”

Addition of the parcel to the refuge will also help secure high-value habitat for thousands of other migratory birds that spend time around Nestucca Bay, where as many as 4,000 geese have been observed using pasture land. As refuge land, the newly acquired tract will be grazed to maintain the short grass pasture habitat that is essential for the geese, thus contributing to the local dairy farming economy and at the same time, helping to address depredation by the geese on nearby farm lands, Lowe said. The community of Pacific City is rapidly growing toward the site and a new housing development is being built just above it, increasing the need for protecting this important open space, he added.

I'm not allowed on Refuge land, being a bird dog, but I can tell you where to go to see the birds hanging out in the greatest town on the Oregon coast.  Come visit me this winter while the rare geese are munching in the fields.

Coelho Harvest Party

Mike and Laura made a few trips this weekend with out me.  Yesterday evening, they drove to house and vineyard of Dave and Deolinda Coelho. The photo is of the Pinot Noir vines, ready to harvest, as the moon is rising. They had a barn dance and all sorts of food and wine. all the guests were asked to bring a wine to share, so there were lots to choose from. Mike tried several Pinot's, one from a "mystery" bottle, no label. They walked around the vineyard for a bit but Laura, like me, didn't like the propane cannons going off every few minutes. The noise is supposed to keep the birds from "harvesting" the grapes. As the sun went down and the birds roosted for the night, the cannons were shut off. The grounds were very nice with interesting plants and fruit trees and bushes, they are farmers, so they are good at landscaping. They didn't stay too long, but talked with Deolinda for a while and met other guests. They took a back way home and may have discovered a quick sort cut form Pacific City to Amity.

Coelho has a tasting room in downtown Amity. They have re-used an old building and is one of Mike and Laura's favorite places to visit.

Saturday, Mike and Laura went to another place where dogs are not allowed.  The opening of Nestucca Bay Wildlife Refuge that I wrote about here.  They parked in the lower lot and were shuttled up to the upper lot.  Hiked up to the new platform and heard the ribbon cutting ceremony.  After all the official business and great views of the Bay, Haystack Rock and Cape Kiawanda, they joined a bird watching tour that took them to places off limits to regular visitors.  They hiked down the trail and road to a power line road out to the Nestucca Bay / Little Nestucca river inlet.  They saw and heard many birds.  It was great to have a walk like that guided by a person who really knows birds.  Mike got to add a few to his life list.  They got a quick visit by a belted kingfisher, common to the area but limited in range, the sighting was in a perfect spot where you would likely see one.  When Mike lived in Piedmont, California, he watch a kingfisher fish out a neighbors koi pond in a few days.  The migratory birds haven't shown up yet but there were lots of local geese and ducks on the bay.  Mike will be out there many more times I'm sure.

After the hike, Mike and Laura went down to the Neskowin Valley School Harvest Festival that I wrote about here.  They toured the silent auction and check on how their donation was doing in the bidding but didn't stay long as they needed to get ready for a new group of guests here at The Craftsman B&B.

So this was about the kinds of things Mike and Laura do with out me, but it shows that they do know about all sorts of different events around the area.  Come on down to Pacific City, there will be something for you to do, just ask.

Nestucca Bay Wildlife Refuge

It's that time of year again.  Every night just after sunset the skies are full of migrating geese.  We have a local gaggle that hang around all year, but now, I'm talking a ton of geese.  They fly over the house, squawking at each other.  That is how they keep in contact in the dark.  They are flying back to  The Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge after a day of flying and munching on their way South for the Winter.  Started in 1991, the refuge provides a sanctuary for a portion of the declining Dusky Canada Goose population and for the endangered Aleutian Cackling Goose. The Refuge has seen many changes over the years, including the recovery of the Aleutian Cackling Goose, Bald Eagle, and Peregrine Falcon, and the restoration of 82 acres of tidal marsh and 50 acres of forest land.  It was just for the birds, but now, they have developed it for people to visit too.

In 2004 the Oregon Dept. of Transportation awarded a grant to the USFWS to design and construct visitor facilities on the Nestucca Bay Refuge. The completed project includes two parking lots; a paved, wheelchair-accessible trail that leads to an elevated viewing deck; road improvements; interpretive panels; and a single vault restroom. The paved Pacific View Trail and Deck, perched atop Cannery Hill, affords visitors a sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean, Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge (Haystack Rock at Pacific City), Nestucca Bay Refuge, the Coast Range, and the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway, US 101.

Next weekend will be the Grand Opening!  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the Pacific City Arts Association, will host a celebration of Wildlife and the Arts on Saturday, Oct.11.

The refuge will open at 9 a.m. Refuge staff will be around until 2:00 p.m. to answer questions and guide you through the area.  This is going to be exciting, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:45 a.m. Guided walks around the site will be from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Here is your chance to explore the new Pacific View Trail. 

Beginning at sunrise, the Lincoln City Chapter of the National Audubon Society will sponsor “The Big Sit,” a nationwide bird-a-thon, where the object is to tally as many bird species seen or heard during a 24-hour period while those recording sit in a 17-foot circle.

Here are some events that will take place next door to The Craftsman B&B at the Nestucca Valley Presbyterian Church (if their construction is done in time).  Most likely at The Bible Church next to the Post Office.

Beginning at 2 p.m., Roy Lowe, Project Leader for the Oregon Coast Refuge Complex, will present the “Natural History of Nestucca Bay Refuge." This visual presentation will include an historical background of the new refuge and why it is important to wildlife.

At 3 p.m. Jeni Foster, a lecturer on the Chautauqua circuit, will present “BirdSong: Birds as metaphors in American folk music,” a performance/lecture sponsored by PCAA. Foster will explore the symbolism of birds within the rich heritage of American folk music and illustrate how the dynamic language of metaphor is essential to poets and songwriters.

Numerous galleries, restaurants and businesses throughout Pacific City will be showcasing wildlife works of art. Enjoy touring all of them throughout the day beginning at 11 a.m.

The refuge is located on the west side of Highway 101, approximately six miles south of Pacific City. To visit the refuge, turn west off of Highway 101 onto Christensen Road and proceed a half mile to the parking lot. 

So make a weekend of it.  Stay with me, I don't think I'll ever get to go out to the Refuge, I don't think dogs, especially bird dogs are allowed.