Coasts – Cameras – Action

Community-Driven Research for Adapting to Willapa Bay’s Rapidly Changing North Shore

Coasts – Cameras – Action is a research partnership between UW scientists and community groups Wash Away No More and Willapa Erosion Control Action Now (WECAN). Our goal is to create sustainable pathways for community-driven photographic beach monitoring and local knowledge to inform coastal erosion mitigation and adaptation approaches. We will do this by modifying the existing beach photo station statues at the end of Seamobile Road and Old SR-105 to standardize the way these beach photographs are taken. Combined with some initial beach survey data provided by the Washington Department of Ecology, we can measure beach width directly from the images and use this information to answer questions like, “How did that storm change our beach?” and “How well is our dynamic revetment working?”

We will also be hosting group discussions, centered on community photographs, to share stories and questions about beach erosion. Results will be synthesized in a report and presentation to WECAN and presented as an interactive display in the community center, with the goal to provide tools and information helpful for securing funding for future community-led adaptive management projects and monitoring stations. 

Project Updates

  • SAVE THE DATE for the North Cove Beach photo stations relaunch celebration! Thursday, May 23rd at the end of Old SR 105, 5:30-8:00pm (short program starts at 6:00pm). There will be food, music, tutorials, a couple of short speeches, photographs (of course), and more!

  • Thank you to all who participated in the community focus group discussions. The social science team is processing your stories and we are learning so much from you.

  • The photo stations, Metal Marcy & her dog Hawkeye and Silhouette Jaenette, have been modified to provide a wider field of view and an L-shaped phone cradle for taking more uniform photos.

            

  • Thank you to the WA Ecology CMAP team for conducting the RTK-GPS survey of ground control points needed for the image analysis part of the project. Wind, sleet, and sun were seen as we worked from low tide to sunset to get everything done in one day!

 

             

Research Team

Principal Investigator: 
Roxanne Carini, UW Seattle, Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)
rjcarini@uw.edu

Co-Principal Investigator:
Nicole Errett, UW Seattle, School of Public Health, Department of Occupational & Environmental Health Sciences (DEOHS)

Community Partner: 
Connie Allen, Wash Away No More founder & WECAN member 

Student: 
Ashley Moore, UW Seattle, School of Public Health, DEOHS

Collaborators: 

  • George Kaminsky, WA Department of Ecology, Coastal Monitoring and Analysis Program
  • Henry Bell, WA Department of Ecology, Coastal Zone Management Program
  • Cat Hartwell, UW Seattle, School of Public Health, DEOHS
  • Earl Davis, Earl Davis Designs

Funding

Coasts – Cameras – Action is funded by the UW EarthLab Innovation Grants Program.

Timelapse video of beach photographs submitted to MyCoast by community members, shown with wind and tide data from NOAA.
This existing beach photo station, located at the west end of Seamobile Road, is a steel silhouette of a local community member.
Project partners Connie Allen, David Cottrell, Roxanne Carini, and Cat Hartwell outside the Shoalwater Bay Tribal Center after the May 2023 WECAN meeting. Photo credit: Cat Hartwell.

Dedication

This project continues in honor of David Cottrell, a catalyzing project partner and beloved community member. David’s dedication to advocacy and action helped turn the tide on beach erosion along the north shore of Willapa Bay. He is dearly missed and we do our best each day to carry on his work.