West Seattle, Washington
31 Saturday
Another update on the California sea lion found dead this past week on West Seattle’s shore – the photo and newest info are from David Hutchinson of Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network:
Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network is happy to report that the California sea lion carcass that had been on the beach at Constellation Park was successfully removed today. The carcass was towed by Mark Sears from that location over to Don Armeni Boat Ramp, where a limited necropsy was performed by Casey Mclean, Executive Director of SR3. Samples were taken for x-ray. At this point no cause of death can be confirmed.
This was a cooperative effort and Seal Sitters would like to especially thank Mark for his assistance. Also, we greatly appreciate the part played by Seattle Parks & Recreation. Parks’ staff coordinated with Mark and provided the equipment needed to move such a large, heavy animal. They will also be responsible for final disposal.
Previous reports: Here (Thursday) and here (Tuesday).
“What a great way to start the year!” That’s one of the comments we heard as people dried off and warmed up after this morning’s Alki Polar Bear Swim, which for most lasted less than a minute, as you can see in our two videos recorded at different spots along the beach. It was an occasion for much photography – before, after, during:
Then there was the matter of what you choose to wear into the water:
Organizer Mark Ufkes, as usual, sported a megaphone for the countdown:
Immediately afterward, the sun emerged, and snow-covered Olympics peaks did too:
Briefly outshining the sun, a Christmas-tree inferno in one of the fire pits:
The air and water temperature were about the same at swim time this year – 50 degrees.
P.S. If you’re looking for an excuse to go back into the water off Alki BEFORE the 2021 New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim, mark your calendar for the February 22 Special Olympics Polar Plunge fundraiser.
Thanks to Kim for the photo. She says Seal Sitters Marine Stranding Network volunteers were out this morning keeping watch over that harbor seal at Lincoln Park. Remember the number in case you ever spot marine mammals on the beach, or in the water but in distress – 206-905-SEAL.
SIDE NOTE: Checking the Seal Sitters’ Blubberblog to see if anything had been published about this sighting, we found this week-old post about a rescue we hadn’t heard of previously – a California sea lion in trouble off Harbor Island, saved via teamwork involving multiple organizations, agencies, and businesses.
(WSB photo)
On private shoreline south of Lowman Beach Park, volunteers from Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network are dealing with a dead sea lion. They describe it as a full-grown male, appearing to be in good condition aside from a wound which they are calling “suspicious.” Though a necropsy would be required to make the determination, two experienced wildlife observers who tipped us to the discovery say it might have been shot. Seal Sitters says the removal plan is still a work in progress; they’ve been working on securing the carcass, with high tide three hours away.
P.S. If you see a marine mammal on the shore – or in potential distress offshore – Seal Sitters’ hotline is 206-905-SEAL.
From David Hutchinson of Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network tonight, the photo and more information on Tuesday’s sea lion removal and necropsy on the West Seattle shore:
Seal Sitters would like to thank Seattle Parks for their participation in the removal of the deceased California Sea Lion from the shoreline yesterday. They moved the carcass from Cove #3, along Harbor Avenue, over to the Don Armeni boat ramp where Casey Mclean of SR3 performed a limited necropsy due to the advanced stage of decomposition. Parks’ staff has arranged for the disposal of the carcass now that the necropsy has been completed. Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network had been tracking the location of this dead animal as well as another that had floated up on Port of Seattle property last Saturday.
Yesterday was a busy day for Seal Sitters. As well as coordinating and assisting at the necropsy site, our volunteers responded to a dead harbor seal pup on the other side of the West Seattle peninsula and watched over a live pup resting on the rocks along the Elliott Bay shoreline. Seal Sitters responds to all reports of marine mammals on West Seattle beaches – alive or dead. Please contact our Hotline (206-905-7325) if you observe any of these while out on local beaches. Our volunteers are on duty to protect any live animals and are responsible for entering details about any dead ones in NOAA’s online database.
We asked a followup about whether the necropsy had revealed anything about why the sea lion died: “All we can say at this point is that the sea lion was robust. Due to the very advanced decomposition after being dead for several weeks or more, the necropsy was much more limited than if the animal was fresh dead. The skull was removed and taken for x-rays.” They’ll report back if those show anything.
For everyone who wondered why that dead sea lion remained on the beach at Seacrest Park for several days – here’s why: Moving one is no easy task, given their weight. The photo sent by Rodney Mash shows today’s removal with the help of heavy equipment. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife tells WSB they “helped with coordination” of the removal but the necropsy was to be done by SR3; we don’t have any information yet on what happened from there.
Saturday night, after several questions, we reported on a dead sea lion on the beach at Seacrest Park. It’s still there, leading to more questions today because it’s so visible from the Water Taxi dock, so we followed up with Lynn Shimamoto of Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network, who answered our weekend inquiry too: “I’m in contact with Fish & Wildlife and SR3 to see if they can do a partial necropsy. It will then be up to Parks to dispose of the carcass since it’s on their property but Parks can’t do this for a couple more days for logistical reasons. Seal Sitters posted a sign near the carcass warning people of the health hazards and asking them to stay away. Interestingly, we responded to another dead sea lion on Saturday. This second carcass is on Port property and we hope it can be examined as well.” Pending potential necropsies, what killed the sea lions is unknown. (Photo courtesy Keri)
We’ve received multiple questions about a sea-lion carcass at Seacrest Park. We referred the first texter to Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network and then checked late tonight to see what they’d found. Seal Sitters’ Lynn Shimamoto replied:
We responded to a report of a dead sea lion at Cove 2 this afternoon. The carcass is in an advanced state of decomposition. We don’t know the cause of death or whether it will be necropsied. We marked it with green paint in order to identify it in case it floats away.
If you see a beached or struggling, or dead, marine mammal, Seal Sitters’ hotline is 206-905-SEAL.
(Corps of Engineers photo, 2014)
Announced this morning:
The Seattle District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, awarded a $3 million contract September 27 to Redside Construction based in Bainbridge Island to replace an existing seawall in West Seattle.
The project will replace the existing 500-foot-long seawall at Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook, 4503 Beach Dr. SW, that was constructed in the 1920s and has experienced significant erosion and damage from storm events. We anticipate construction in mid-2020.
The new seawall will be a “soldier pile” (system of vertical piles spaced at a regular interval with material in between to create a wall) design, built a few feet seaward and a few feet higher than the existing seawall, and equipped with safety handrails that the current seawall lacks. This design will minimize the impact on the beach, address rising sea level concerns and create better contours for the restoration landscaping on the landward portion of the overlook area.
The Army Corps has partnered with Seattle Parks and Recreation to design and build this coastal storm damage reduction project under Section 103 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1962. Coastal storms and erosion continue to threaten public infrastructure located in and around the project footprint, including a 54-inch King County sewer main, a main public arterial, City park property, and other underground utilities.
The Seattle Parks project page is here; our coverage of a Q&A community meeting about the project back in July is here. Community comments were first solicited in 2014, when the project was estimated to cost $2.3 million.
(Pearl the harbor seal [front], with her pup Minnie Pearl [middle], sharing their favorite rock with another large adult seal)
The photo and update are from David Hutchinson for Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network:
Seal Sitters is now entering what has historically been our busiest months. Harbor seal pups, born June-September in our area, and weaned after only 4-6 weeks, are now showing up on local beaches. Our Hotline received 2 calls late Thursday evening about pups hauling out at different West Seattle beaches. Thanks to Kelly and Amy for taking the time to call when they came upon these vulnerable, young seals. Unfortunately, back on August 29th, we also received a report from a Seattle Parks’ security officer at Alki Beach of a small pup that was frightened back into the water by a group of people. The majority of these pups are on their own and struggling to survive, with only 50% making it through their first year.
Please remember that all marine mammals are protected by federal law. If you see one on a beach, please keep back, keep other people and pets away and call your local NOAA-affiliated stranding network. In West Seattle, that would be Seal Sitters MMSN at 206-905-7325. If you are not in West Seattle, our Hotline operators can refer you to the appropriate group.
Just a reminder that dogs are not allowed on Seattle Parks’ beaches, off or on a leash.
(WSB photo from earlier this month)
The next two days are your last two chances of the summer to explore the shore during low-low tides. At 10:35 am Thursday and 11:22 am Friday, low tides will be out to -2.1 feet – the last daytime tides that low this year. Not quite as low as the minus-3-foot low tides earlier this summer but low enough for exploring! (If you can’t get out on the beach until the weekend, Saturday’s low-low tide is decent for beachwalking too – -1.5 feet at 12:09 pm.) New around here? A favorite low-tide-exploring spot is Constelltion Park/Richey Viewpoint along Beach Drive south of Alki Point. But tread lightly and take great care with any creatures you see!
The photo was sent by Victoria, a first responder for Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network, who explains: “Seal Sitters received a call about this raft on Lowman Park beach. Not sure who the owner is but they may wish to come and claim it before the tide takes it back out into the water.” Next high tide is at 8:33 pm.
10:17 AM: Just in from King County Wastewater Treatment Division:
King County Wastewater Treatment Division is investigating a leaking pressure relief valve on the Barton Pump Station pipeline that travels through Lincoln Park located in West Seattle that resulted in a small sewer overflow.
Signs have been posted advising the public to avoid contact in the area located in the southern-most end of the park along the beach trail north of the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock. King County dispatched a crew to clean up the site and water quality testing will be done throughout the weekend. The overflow has been reported to health and regulatory agencies.
We have followup questions about the size/volume of the overflow and the stretch of shore affected, since there’s a stretch of private shoreline north of the dock, as well as little Cove Park, before you get to the south end of Lincoln Park. We’re also headed out to look for signage/work crews.
11:25 AM: No reply yet, but we did find a “stay out of the water” sign at Cove Park; photo added above.
1:03 PM: From KCWTD spokesperson Norm Mah: “The estimate is between 200-400 gallons, most of which was cleaned up by a vactor (vacuum) truck last night. Some of it was within the vault that houses the valves.”
As previewed in our daily highlight list, today’s low-low tide was the last one out to -3 feet (-3.1 to be precise) before summer ends. A few minutes after the 11:41 low-low-tide moment, we were out at Seacrest for a look at the exposed pier supports, and caught a Blue Angels flyby. As for a closer look at the sea life:
Though starfish have reappeared elsewhere, they weren’t in view here. (For comparison, see our 2009 view here.) One more low-low-tide view a bit to the northwest:
It takes a tide this low to show the remains of what used to be off Duwamish Head – which bustled a century-plus ago with docks, industry, even the legendary Luna Park amusement park. Meantime, if you couldn’t get out on the beach today, tomorrow’s almost as low, -2.9 feet at 12:27 pm Friday.
Construction of a new seawall at Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook is still about a year away.
But reps from Seattle Parks and the Army Corps of Engineers presented a briefing this past week so interested people would know how the project will proceed. About 30 people showed up for the briefing/Q&A at Alki Community Center.
It’s been more than five years in the planning – we first mentioned it in this 2014 report. The potential failure of the 500-foot-long stretch of seawall threatens other infrastructure including a 4 1/2-foot-wide sewer pipeline.
(WSB photo from 2018 ‘Da Grind’)
Continuing our ongoing previews of what’s ahead here in the heart of summer, there’s another reason to be at Alki next Saturday: The Seattle Outrigger Canoe Club‘s annual “Da Grind” races will be on for most of the day. Most of the racing is on a 12-mile course to Blake Island and back, but a four-mile course is used for the last round of the day. The schedule’s on the races’ official website, with racing starting at 9:30 am and lasting until awards are presented around 3:30 pm.
(Click for current “live” map of closures)
Thanks to everybody who called our attention to a state alert about sewage spills that briefly led to a warning to stay out of the water at multiple beaches including Alki. That “closure” is no longer in effect, according to a state update. But just so you know what happened:
The Washington Department of Ecology is investigating sewage treatment failures at King County’s two largest sewage treatment plants. The following is the latest information Ecology has on the unauthorized discharges at the West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant and Renton Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Early this morning, the West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant released an estimated 3 million gallons of untreated sewage for approximately 27 minutes, after backup pumping systems failed during power disruptions at the plant. The system diverted incoming wastewater to an emergency outfall near North Beach in Discovery Park.
On July 18, there was a different power failure at the county’s Renton Wastewater Treatment Plant, resulting in potentially limited disinfection of treated wastewater. This limited disinfection lasted approximately 50 minutes. The Renton plant discharges into Puget Sound, about two miles offshore, northwest of Duwamish Head in Seattle.
Ecology is investigating both incidents as unauthorized discharges that would violate the state’s water quality permits for the facilities. The county reported the incidents to Ecology. Ecology anticipates taking necessary enforcement actions after its full investigation.
The release of sewage into Puget Sound has prompted local health departments to issue several beach closures. Ecology keeps a list of current beach closures online. We advise the public to check with their local health departments for beach closure updates.
If you scroll down this page, you’ll see the list in King County has been revised to ONLY Discovery Park beaches. Alki is OK.
11:50 AM: One by one, the canoe families are leaving Alki Beach, carrying their wooden canoes to the water and paddling off to the next stop, hosted by the Suquamish Tribe on the Kitsap Peninsula, ultimately headed for the Lummi Nation, this year’s hosts at journey’s end. (And yes, this is what the helicopter is circling Alki for; it’s a TV chopper.) More photos to come.
1:04 PM: The Duwamish Tribe has joined the Paddle to Lummi – after we left Alki, we found the Duwamish canoe launching from Don Armeni:
Back at the beach, Alki photographer David Hutchinson says all have left, just one canoe (flying the Chehalis flag) left on the beach. He sent this photo:
ADDED FRIDAY NIGHT: Carrying a canoe back to the water posed some challenges:
It was something to watch with admiration:
The departures continued:
Still adding!
12:33 PM: As previewed, tribal canoe families headed north on the Paddle to Lummi have begun arriving at Alki Beach for an overnight stay hosted by the Muckleshoot Tribe. Far fewer than last year since this is near the start of the northbound route, as opposed to last year, when it was toward the end of a southbound journey – about 15 are expected today, Muckleshoot cultural director Willard Bill Jr. told WSB.
The canoes will remain on the beach overnight, departing tomorrow, headed northwest to the next stop, hosted by the Suquamish Tribe. Updates to come!
1:46 PM; All here:
Buses still line the water side of Alki Ave. SW to transport the visitors to the Muckleshoot HQ in Auburn.
ADDED THURSDAY EVENING: More photos. The arrivals coincided with a very low low tide, so there was a considerable distance to haul the canoes up onto the beach.
Next three photos are by David Hutchinson, capturing some of the details of the canoes:
At the next stop in Suquamish, the canoe families will stop for two nights, Friday and Saturday.
(WSB photo, July 2018)
On Thursday, some of the canoe families participating in this year’s Intertribal Canoe Journey, the Paddle to Lummi, will stop at Alki Beach. We’ve confirmed with the Alki-hosting Muckleshoot Tribe‘s cultural director Willard Bill Jr. that they are expected to start arriving around noon on Thursday. Fewer canoes this year because the journey is northbound – he says they’re expecting about 15. They will then travel by land to the Muckleshoot Powwow Grounds in Auburn and depart Alki on Friday morning for the next stop – here’s a map of the stops before and after (those stopping here will have been with the Puyallup Tribe the night before, and headed to Suquamish the night after). Every year a different tribe/nation in the region hosts the celebration at the end of the journey route.
Thanks to David Hutchinson for the photo from Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, one of more than 100 places around the nation and world where people gathered tonight “to protest the inhumane conditions faced by migrants,” particularly detention and separation at the U.S. border. The movement is called Lights for Liberty, and the West Seattle vigil was one of at least half a dozen planned in the city tonight.
(2014 US Army Corps of Engineers photo of failing seawall)
One of West Seattle’s favorite spots for watching everything from orcas to sunsets has construction in its future. The long-planned seawall replacement for Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook on Beach Drive SW is getting closer, and Seattle Parks has an event planned next week for info and Q&A:
Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Army Corps of Engineers invite the community to an Open House on Tuesday, July 16, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Alki Community Center, 5817 SW Stevens St. This Open House is an opportunity for the community to learn about the Emma Schmitz Seawall Replacement project located at 4503 Beach Dr. SW in West Seattle.
The project will replace the existing 500-foot-long seawall constructed in the 1920s that has experienced significant erosion and damage from storm events. Please join us for a short presentation followed by an Open House.
The new seawall will be a “soldier pile” (system of vertical piles spaced at a regular interval with material in between to create a wall) design, built a few feet seaward and a few feet higher than the existing seawall, and equipped with safety handrails that the current seawall lacks. This design will minimize the impact on the beach, address rising seawater concerns and create better contours for the restoration landscaping on the landward portion of the overlook area. We anticipate construction in mid-2020.
The project website says this open house will include a “short presentation,” so it’s not strictly a drop-in open house.
(Photo by David Hutchinson)
2:19 PM: From the treacherous waters of Elliott Bay, the Seafair Pirates have arrived at Alki – landing shortly after 1 pm, aboard the trusty Prudhoe Bay (once again commandeered from West Seattle’s own Global Diving and Salvage, who surely know where to find Davy Jones’s Locker). This might be the only port o’ call where people run (wade) toward pirates instead of running from them:
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand from here down, unless credited otherwise)
Even if you missed the landing, the beach festival with vendors, kids’ rides, and treats continues until 5 pm:
ADDED 4:23 PM: More photos!
The tide was low, so the required wading was a little shallower than usual. On shore, a change – no roped-off area, so pirates and fans moved about at will:
Though they were of course wielding swords, we observed more smiles than shrieks:
The traditional welcome ceremony ensued:
The welcoming party included King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seafair royalty:
(Texted photo)
From left with the KCE are this year’s King Neptune, Rich Gray; Queen Alcyone, Kim Holcomb; and Miss Seafair, Andrea Diaz. (Read more about them here.) Meantime, we’re told the Pirates have left the Bathhouse in their landlubbing “vessel,” Moby Duck:
(Photo by David Hutchinson)
Two weeks from today, they will be back to “sail” down California Avenue SW in Moby Duck during the West Seattle Grand Parade (which starts at California/Lander at 11 am and heads southbound to The Junction).
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