COASST beach monitoring

COASST Beach Monitoring Programs

The Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team is a citizen science program run by the University of Washington for the west coast of the USA, including Alaska. COASST volunteers survey beaches for bird remains, marine debris, and human use. The program seeks to establish rigorous baseline data which will allow determination of changes over time.

The Skagway Bird Club, Skagway Traditional Council and Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, co-sponsored COASST training in Skagway for Beached Bird and Marine Debris monitoring in June 2016.

There are currently 2 beached bird sites are being monitored in Skagway: the small boat harbor and the sandy beach at Nahku Bay. In the past, the mouth of the Skagway River and the Dyea flats shoreline had been monitored.

Please contact SBC sbc@aptalaska.net or COASST coasst@uw.edu if you are interested in joining an existing monitoring site, resurrecting a past site, or starting a new site.