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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 14, 2022)
SCRATCHPAD Islands of sand By LISSA BREWER COAST WEEKEND EDITOR The Columbia River has historically been home to many a Sand Island, from the mouth of Baker Bay to the dunes of Rooster Rock State Park. Near St. Helens, more than 50 campsites mark the 32-acre Sand Island Marine Park, a popular getaway with trails, a volleyball court and marina store. Despite the name, however, none of these islands are fully composed of sand. Near the mouth of the Columbia, Baker Bay’s Sand Island houses a mature forest and network of shrubs. However, many low-lying islands within the Columbia River estuary, includ- ing East Sand Island, rise and fall with the tides. Other large sandbars, sometimes large enough to be considered islands, can be seen at low tide from the Astoria Bridge. Despite its close proximity to Chinook, Washington, the 62-acre East Sand Island is a part of Oregon. It’s a notable spot for bird- watchers, supporting some of the world’s largest nesting colonies of both Caspian terns and double-crested cormorants. These migrating seabirds spend time across the estuary’s islands of sand, feast- ing on smolt, salmon and steelhead. They’re visible from a distance and, aside from the few adventurous boaters who make the trip, are most often seen through binoculars, as are the curious islands themselves. Lissa Brewer A fl ock of cormorants fl y above a group of ships. The Columbia River estuary contains many wetlands and islands of sand, which host many species of birds. ON THE COVER STAFF AND CONTRIBUTORS COAST WEEKEND EDITOR LISSA BREWER THURSDAY JULY 14 2022 Children study items under a microscope in front of the Seaside Aquarium. Discovering the shore CALENDAR COORDINATOR SARAH SMITH SEASIDE BEACH PROGRAM RETURNS PAGE 8 A PRACTICAL HISTORIC FEATURE PAGE 12 PENINSULA SAND SCULPTURES PAGE 6 CAVIAR OMELETS PAGE 16 CONTRIBUTORS DAVID CAMPICHE M.J. CODY ALYSSA EVANS KATHERINE LACAZE NANCY MCCARTHY BARBARA LLOYD MCMICHAEL LAURI KRAMER SERAFIN To advertise in Coast Weekend, call 503-325-3211 or contact your local sales representative. © 2022 COAST WEEKEND Coast Weekend is published every Thursday by the EO Media Group, all rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced without consent of the publisher. Coast Weekend appears weekly in The Astorian and the Chinook Observer. TO SUBMIT AN ITEM Phone: 503.325.3211 Ext. 217 or 800.781.3211 Fax: 503.325.6573 E-mail: editor@discoverourcoast.com Address: P.O.Box 210 • 949 Exchange St. Astoria, OR 97103 Find it all online! DiscoverOurCoast.com fi nd our event calendar, search for articles, share on social media and more THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2022 // 3