Abstract
Coastal dunes are important ecosystems that provide vital habitat for rare and endangered species as well as vital ecosystem services. However, since the late nineteenth century, coastal dune ecosystems have been invaded and altered by Ammophila arenaria, which is a beach grass species native to Europe. The dunes within the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center are one such example of this. This property is currently managed by the non-profit organization Friends of the Dunes, which has been working to restore the dunes' ecology and topography. Our project focuses on the monitoring and maintenance of a 2021 restoration project within a 17,794 m² area. In our project, we removed regeneration of Ammophila; we also sampled the total invasive and native plant cover, species richness, and species diversity. Additionally, we conducted photo point monitoring of the site and produced a map of the rare plants we observed. We pulled a total of 2980 Ammophila shoots, and observed that there was a higher percent plant cover, species richness, and diversity within the backdune areas of the site. Our findings emphasize the importance of continued removal efforts to prevent the recolonization of Ammophila and to protect sensitive biological resources.
Date
Spring 2026
Department
Environmental Science & Management
Concentration/Emphasis
Ecological Restoration
Advisor/Professor
Daniel Lipe
Citation Style
APA