SANDBAR CLEANUP MAY 16

97031 · Mon May 11, 15 7:41 am **SANDBAR CLEANUP MAY 16**

The CGKA has organized its annual Hood River Sandbar cleanup party for this Saturday, May 16 from 8-11 a.m. For anyone who frequents the sandbar in the summer, this is an important work party to clear the beach of logs and debris deposited over the winter. If you have the time, please chip in with a couple hours of labor. We had a mild winter so there's not a ton of work to do, but a work party is still needed. If we get a decent turnout we should be able to bang this out in about two hours.

DETAILS:
8 a.m. start, hope to be done by 11.
TWO vehicles allowed on the sandbar at a time, trucks only, for hauling wood.
Wood will be piled by ramp near Spit parking lot, anyone who wants to take it home is welcome
Please bring: We need one one or two chainsaws, several shovels, two trucks, tow straps and as many volunteers as possible.
Questions, contact Adam at 541-490-2785.

97031 · Tue May 12, 15 7:34 am

Coffee and doughnuts will be provided.
Please respond if you're able to come and have a truck or saw to contribute so we can get an idea of what we'll have to work with. We'll also need several people with shovels to help loosen buried logs.
Any representatives from the local schools able to attend?

ldhr · Since 21 Jul 2009 1471 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

I will be there at 8:00 with a chain saw.
Laird

MarkWorth · Since 02 May 2011 149 Posts Hood River Stoked

I have a 400 foot cable to reach the trees in the slider park

Windance Crew · Since 18 Apr 2008 473 Posts Hood River Kite Shop Obsessed

I will be there. I will have my truck and a length of chain too. If needed.

Dave

ldhr · Since 21 Jul 2009 1471 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

So - we removed the small debris and most of the large tree trunks.

We also left a few large tree trunks on the beach.... fully buried or partially buried.

It will be interesting to see what happens to the ones we left on the beach......

Kmun · Since 05 Jul 2009 250 Posts Obsessed

Hearing you are more conservative in viewing logs as stabilizing resources; I now will be happy to join your efforts. I am up for wise application of grunt maintenance even during the winter. Early placement and partial burial as early as possible is the way to go.I posted the below entry on another thread (concerning dangers of foils at the event site launch). Over the years I have posted similar thoughts.

Copy of post (below)

Improve the Sandbar - reduce problems

Perhaps we can make the Sand Bar a more attractive, safer place to launch and land by improving on a HIGH & DRY Sandbar?

First step is to ask the sand bar clean-up crew to NOT dispose of ALL the logs! Instead, work with nature to develop a high & dry Sandbar launch zone. Judiciously relocate and partially bury the logs in sand on eastern most aspect of the current western ridge. Back fill the base of the logs with those arrant toe-breaker rocks and cover the rock to log slope with sand. The soft sand residual “rise” will be the substrate for additional year around wind driven sand deposition. Think “snow fences” and why sand dunes appear seemingly from nowhere.

If employed with foresight our annual arrival of winter logs are gifts and opportunity. Notice that in their few months of lying on the beach many of the logs already have a 70% plus step of sand blown in and around. Smart placement of substrate and deposition zones will accelerate and focus build-up of valuable high ground or “mini-dune”. Of course the elevated ridge also improves the lea of the wind safe kite-parking and landing zone.

Is it too much of a stretch to see that removing substrate accelerates the erosion and loss of the sand bar? When first delivered from the glacial burst (just a few years ago) we acquired close to thirty five new acres of dry peninsula. A great majority of that dry area is now gone. All has disappeared into the river by high water and winds (winter, summer day and night). Is it not time to think ahead?

Who likes a wet walk to the sand bar? If by chance during the winter one big dry log bridge was naturally delivered to a high and dry sandbar; would this natural walking bridge be greatly valued? Heck yeah! Or…would the beach clean-up crew remove a potential asset? Instead of the clean-up effort denuding the sandbar of logs, a couple of those long logs could be placed to pseudo-bridge the gap from the rock point to the sand. SUP's, Kayaks, sunfish sail boats need to pass through.

I’d like to be part of volunteer projects (beach clean-up) but being party to increasing beach erosion is a is a problem. Anyone else out there open to evolving our “current” thinking? If the community approves this vision, I would be glad to join the effort for next season. Feel free to PM (Private Message) me if you are on-board.

Pepi · Sat May 16, 15 3:36 pm

Excellent turn out today.

Huge pat on the back for Adam LaPierre for again organizing a successful beach clean up and to everyone who showed up.
A special thank you to the Collegiate Kite Assoc members who specifically included the beach clean up in their weekend event plan.

I am always appreciative that we get a good crew of people helping who fully understand what and how to best pursue our work activities, ie - where and when to remove logs, where we need to put them safely, and how much we need to remove.
I especially appreciated the ideas brought up for cleaning up the pokers that damage kites and feet every year.

We always know Mother Nature reigns supreme, so working best with whatever changes occur to the sandbar in the winter and with whatever water levels we receive for access in the summer is always our best course of action

Kmun - We are always looking for extra helpers that want to support the efforts of the CGKA to look after the safety, access and maintenance of our water access launch sites.

Jonpnw · Sat May 16, 15 7:32 pm **Good Times - Clean Kite Beach**

Thank you all for your hard work , equipment and heavy duty vehicles