Sandy Beaches



	THE BAY'S SANDY BEACHES are heavily used as a recreational resource by residents of Los Angeles County and visitors from around the world. Bay beaches attract, on average, 50-60 million visitors per year and generate significant revenue for the local economy. As a result, beaches are primarily managed for their recreational value rather than for their value as habitat for coastal and marine species. The intense recreational use of Santa Monica Bay's beaches has impacted both the habitat and the associated species. Prior to urbanization, sandy sediment was delivered to Santa Monica Bay's beaches by the streams and rivers that drain Southern California's coastal watersheds. Today, dense coastal development, seawalls, flood control, water retention/diversion projects, and powerful winter storms have seriously reduced sediment supplies to local beaches. Although beach nourishment projects and the construction of more than fifty groins and jetties have resulted in a coastline that is fairly stable, these projects are expensive and may have unintended consequences. Groins and jetties may allow sand to accumulate in one location while accelerating beach erosion along downcurrent beaches. Beach nourishment projects are only feasible where there is a nearby source of clean, uncontaminated sand. These beach nourishment projects may also impact California grunion spawning patterns. Dams built along the region's rivers and streams over the years also contribute to beach erosion along California's beaches by preventing significant quantities of sediment from reaching the coast. Therefore, dam removal has emerged as another alternative in combating coastal erosion and preserving beaches. Many of these coastal dams, such as Rindge Dam in Malibu Creek, have completely filled with sediment and no longer provide the services for which they were originally built. Removal of these obsolete dams would help restore more natural beach sustainability. The SMBRC, along with watershed stakeholders, is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and California State Parks to study the feasibility of removing Rindge Dam. Sandy beaches are important foraging and nesting grounds for many shore bird species. The protection of this habitat is central to the population recovery of two endangered species, the California least tern and Western snowy plover. Although the snowy plover no longer nests along Santa Monica Bay beaches due to habitat loss/degradation as well as human disturbance, the plover still winters on Bay beaches and is therefore still vulnerable. Beachfront development and increased human use of beaches have taken away most of the sandy beach/dune habitat which California least terns use for nesting. At present, one California least tern colony is protected by a 6-foot high, 300 x 500 foot fence at Venice Beach. However, human disturbance and predation by crows and kestrels continue to result in high chick mortality during some breeding seasons. Other potential sources of disturbance include the noise from Los Angeles International Airport and predation by introduced species such as red foxes, feral cats, and dogs.