Santa Monica Beach Restoration Pilot Project - Year 5 Report

This report summarizes activities for the Santa Monica Beach Restoration Pilot Project from December 2015 through October 2021. The restoration was implemented in two phases over the course of two weeks in December 2016 including the installation of fencing and seeding of native coastal strand vegetation species. For details on the implementation efforts and prior monitoring, please reference prior reports (Johnston et al. 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020). Post-restoration physical and biological monitoring has occurred since 2016 and is completed based on permit requirements and included in this Year 5 Report. As the project was meant to be an experimental pilot for the region, no specific, quantifiable success criteria were set; however, the project can be evaluated against its ability to meet the project goals. The project positively engaged the public, created new partnerships and outreach connections, restricted grooming in an approximately 3-acre area, allowed vegetation to grow, encouraged sand hummocks to form along fence lines and within the project area, provided comprehensive science-based monitoring data to inform nature-based beach restoration solutions, and is bringing back a rare coastal habitat type to the Los Angeles region.