Tim Hortons coffee cups, complete with non-biodegradable plastic lids . Neatly stashed in the logs.
In the past few weeks a few objects have been “mistakenly” left by visitors to Taylor Beach. There are several local residents who always help to keep the beach clean but regularly encounter these possessions. We do hope that future visitors aren’t so forgetful.
Non-biodegradable plastic bag , neatly tied, complete with dog excrement inside.
In the last 24 hours, a large slump has occurred on the Taylor Beach cliff. This is located just at the north end of the beach component. The properties along the top of the cliff have for several years experienced various human impacts which have likely contributed to this erosion.
Taylor Beach slump. G. Fletcher photo.
This Cliff is all included in the Hazard lands DPA, and it is also a naturally occurring geological erosional feature which, unfortunately poor enforcement over the years has contributed to this problem.
There remains further evidence of slipping in the separated section showing a grey clay bank along a wider stretch of this bank so we can anticipate more similar events.
Currently a large deposit of soil, broken mature alders and debris remains on the beach. The next big storm from the East at a high tide will clear this out causing increased sedimentation along the inter and sub-tidal areas off shore. There us a thriving community of organisms on this shore so an impact on those populations is predicted. .
Taylor Beach erosion- G. Fletcher photo.
Taylor Beach erosion with tangle of alders. G. Fletcher photo.
During the past few weeks, we have experienced several storms out of the north east at high tide. These images were taken to document some of the on-going problems from the extensive rip-rapping and seawall construction on that beach. See this page for summer 2013 images for comparison.
The solid sea-wall built only last year will lead to increased scouring and removal of sand. Unfortunately it will not only affect the crown land property in front of the wall, but the crown land foreshore adjacent to this property .
Recent storms have dislodged many of the boulders near the south end of the beach. Note the rubble foreground which was previously sand beach.
This concrete control gate was built many years ago to control flooding into a lagoon. The rip-rap boulders around it have been disturbed by wave action.
Site A= south end of the beach-sand eroded from base of rip-pap wall. Site B The border of where the rip-rap ends and the natural beach (going northward,) begins. C=the widened sand beach area backed by the natural beach. Scouring of the sand does not occur as it does further south on the beach.
The berm on the North end of Weir’s beach is in a more natural state with logs and debris thrown up by storms. The and natural beach vegetation and debris absorbs the impact of the ocean energy and no scouring of the beach sand has occurred. This will lead to long-term beach stability and erosion-resistance.
See other posts and references on hardening of the shorelines by clicking on links below.
See this file on early pictures of Weir’s beach
The vessel traffic lane in the Strait of Juan de Fuca is very narrow and it llies within 3 to 5 nautical miles of the boundary of Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. The ecoguardians at the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve have contributed photos of the local fauna, with tankers in the background and we have posted them on this page:
Cormorants and Sealions with a 300 metre tanker in the backgound: photo by Alex Fletcher.
Cormorants and Sealions with tanker in the backgound: photo by Alex Fletcher.
Our shoreline and Race Rocks Ecological reserve are at risk of an oil spill. Metchosin resident Garry Fletcher and Victoria resident Mike Fenger have been Intervenors in the NEB Kinder Morgan/ Trans Mountain Pipeline Proposal Hearing on behalf of the Board of Friends of Ecological Reserves. The letter linked here was sent in support of the Province of British Columbia’s attempts to have full disclosure of the emergency Plans of the WCMRC (Western Canada Marine Response Corporation). ( which happens to be over 50% owned by Kinder Morgan…)
RE: Notice of Motion by the Province of British Columbia submitted December 5, 2014 OH -01- 2014 Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC (“Trans Mountain”) Trans Mountain Expansion Project (the “Project”) File Number OF-Fac-Oil-T260-2013-03 02
As an Intervenor in the above mentioned application, the Board of Friends of Ecological Reserve’s (Board of FER )provides the following comments in support for BC’s Motion submitted by the Province of British Columbia on December 5, 2014.
Please be advised that the Board of FER supports the order sought in the Province of British Columbia’s Notice of Motion dated December 5, 2014:————-
The complete text of this letter can be viewed here on the National Energy Board Website .
Special Report: Tar Sands Reporting ProjectWe often come across these empty shells of Tresus capax the Fat Gaper on the shores of Taylor Beach. They live buried in the sand in the shallow water offshore. Around the opening of the siphon, Tresus capax has small palps around each opening which distinguishes it from other bivalves.
Fat Gaper : ( Tresus capax)
Classification::
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Veneroida
Family: Mactridae
Genus: Tresus
Species: Tresus capax (Gould, 1850)
The Fat Gaper, Tresus capax . Note the size in comparison to a glove.
Useful References: E-fauna BC page on bivalve Molluscs:
The false pacific jingle shell, or rock oyster, often comes ashore on Taylor Beach attached to the holdfasts of kelp.
Various species of kelp have attached their holdfasts to this rock oyster shell, leading to it being detached and carried ashore on Taylor Beach.
One of the valves of Pododesmus sp.
Reference: Peter’s seashells
When she was an ecoguardian at Race Rocks in 2010, Raisa Mirza took this excellent photo of a river otter, just out of the water, eating a female kelp greenling .
River otters are fairly common along our shores. Thus an entry for our species posts. In four stretches of shoreline in particular, we can expect to find them, where they have dens and produce offspring yearly.
1. At Race Rocks
2. In Pedder Bay
3 At the entrance to Gooch Creek
4. Along the Taylor Beach blufffs.
The Pearson College Marine Science reference has several references and images available on river otters. 
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Subfamily: Lutrinae
Genus: Lontra
Species: canadensis pacifica (Schreber, 1977)
Common Name: River Otter
One should be cautioned when walking dogs on Taylor Beach to restrain them if otters are in the area. Otters have been known to attack even large dogs that have pursued them into the ocean.
This image was taken after two walks on half of Taylor beach after a set of swells from the East in the past week. G. Fletcher photo.
It may not be obvious to the casual beach stroller, but the bits and pieces of plastic rope one sees occasionally can be a real hazard in the ocean. When the plastic breaks down ( It never really breaks down, it just turns into smaller pieces) it can be taken up into the gills of fish and invertebrates, where it can eventually become lethal.
Rather sad when you know that all these pieces of rope could have been disposed of properly instead of just being thrown carelessly into the ocean.
Solution: require all plastic rope used in the marine environment to be completely biodegradable after a certain length of time in the water or on a beach.
An additional insideous problem here is the small ring band of white plastic strapping on the right . This kind of band used in bundling fishing nets is what we see impaled on the necks of sealions.
Check out images of the results on the Race Rocks website .
Also see Entanglement
Interesting Reference: http://5gyres.org/ on Plastic Pollution Accumulating in Oceanic Gyres.