Santa Monica Brings a Second Dune Restoration Project to the Beach

April 25, 2022 11:41 AM
by Nico Predock

Over the last 5 years, The Bay Foundation has been working in conjunction with the City of Santa Monica to restore approximately three acres of coastal strand habitat on the north end of the Santa Monica Beach. By restricting beach grooming activities, seeding native plants and using fencing to build dunes, a rare coastal habitat was successfully brought back to Santa Monica. Endangered species such as the Western Snowy Plover were seen on Santa Monica Beach for the first time in over 70 years. From start to finish, the project positively engaged the public and provided comprehensive monitoring data to inform other projects across SoCal. The Bay Foundation recently released its Year 5 Report, which summarizes results from the start of the project (Dec 2015) to completion (Oct 2021). The Bay Foundation has opted to establish the site as a permanent feature of the coastline through a Coastal Development Permit amendment. Once approved, visitors and residents will be able to enjoy the restored area in Santa Monica for years to come. Find out more about the Santa Monica Beach Restoration Pilot Project.

After a successful proof of concept in the pilot project, the Bay Foundation has been approved for a $300k grant from the Refugio Trustee council for a phase 2 Santa Monica Beach Dune restoration project. The new restoration area will be located adjacent to the current pilot project site which is across from the Annenberg Community Beach House next to Lifeguard Tower 2. The project aims to restore almost five acres of sandy coastal habitat by transforming a portion of the current beach into a sustainable coastal strand and foredune habitat that is resilient to sea-level rise. The project will be implemented over the next 5 years and outreach/planning is set to begin this year. This new project aims to build on the success shown by the pilot project and will offer long-term resiliency against sea-level rise to coastal residents and ecosystem services to all residents/visitors of Santa Monica. As the planning and implementation process begins, both The Bay Foundation and the City of Santa Monica will be soliciting community support for the project. From volunteer events like cleanups to workshops about the phase 2 Beach Dune Restoration Project, there are many ways to get involved in this amazing project.

Saturday, June 4, 2022, 10am - Noon, Heal the Bay x Santa Monica Beach Dune Cleanup.Volunteer to clean up beach dunes adjacent to the Annenberg Community Beach House and have a chance to win awesome prizes. The event will feature an organized maintenance effort led by Heal the Bay and a talk & tour of the Santa Monica Beach Dune Restoration Project by The Bay Foundation. Sign up here>

If you are interested in learning more or getting involved in the Santa Monica Beach Dune Restoration Project, please take a moment to fill out this Friends of the Santa Monica Beach Dunes Interest Form. We will share volunteer events with you, workshops about the upcoming phase 2 project and everything else related to the Santa Monica Beach Dunes!

Authored By

Nico Predock
Sustainability Analyst

Authored By

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