The Surfrider Foundation proposes to restore Seal Beach’s sand dunes. With that in mind, Surfrider Foundation Southern California Regional Manager Michaela Coats gave a presentation to the Jan. 12 City Council meeting. According to Coats, the Surfrider Foundation will fund the project.
The council didn’t take formal action. The dune restoration project will take time and require permits from both the city and the California Coastal Commission.
The following is not a transcript but highlights from the presentation.
Coats was at the meeting to represent the Surfrider Foundation’s North Orange County Chapter, which she said was formed from the mergers of the Newport Beach and Seal Beach/Huntington Beach chapters.
“We want to restore the approximately 2.3 acres of coastal sand dunes that exist between First and Third Street,” Coats said.
“We aim to engage the local community through hands-on volunteer days to instill and foster stewardship,” Coats said.
“Why protect and restore coastal dunes? Well, healthy dunes can act as a natural barrier against storm surge and erosion that protects not just the coast, but the infrastructure that we have built around it. Healthy dunes play a critical role in providing native habitat for wildlife, including plants and birds such as the endangered California least tern and the threatened western snowy clovers that both utilize dunes as nesting habitat,” Coats said.
“Restoring coastal dunes can also provide a more cost-effective method of coastal defense,” Coats said.
“Lastly, by doing these projects in the community, we can engage local residents and foster stewardship of the environment so that we can all work to protect it together,” Coats said.
She said the project was brought to the North Orange County Chapter from Seal Beach residents and community members who were concerned about the trampling of sand dunes on the beach.
The conditions included unmanaged foot traffic, e-bikes, invasive plant species, and lack of protective measures.
Coats showed the council photos, which she said came from residents, showing footprints, bicycle tracks, and plants on Seal Beach dunes. One photo showed a vandalized sign.
“We can create designated walking areas that maintain pedestrian access while protecting the habitat at the site. Through June restoration, we can remove those invasive species, giving more space for the native species to thrive while also manually installing native plants or native seeds in the site to help give those native species a little bit of a boost, and through regular maintenance of the site through workshop and restoration days, we will continue to engage the community in ongoing stewardship of this area,” Coats said.
Coats said the North OC Surfrider Chapter is prepared to fund, plan, implement, and maintain the dune restoration project.
“We have begun to find funding for this project to cover the materials, tools, and technical support, which would include a restoration consulting company to help develop a restoration plan. We’re going to find funding through a combination of grants as well as local donations,” Coats said.
She said there are already many Seal Beach residents who support the project.
“The city will remain fully informed throughout the process,” Coats said.
According to Coats, the timeline for the first stage of the project would be through the summer of 2026 (pending permit approvals).
According to one of her slides, the project area would be protected by “symbolic fencing”. Spaces between the dunes would be left open for pedestrian access.
There will also be wide areas left open for vehicles so that Lifeguards could continue to patrol the beach.
Coats said the Surfrider Foundation was currently in the process of securing permits and funding for the first stage of the project.
“After we protect the dunes, we aim to implement the restoration plan,” Coats said.
According to one of her slides, the timeline for the restoration is from the present through December 2027. The Surfrider Foundation will implement the restoration plan through Surfrider-led volunteer days.
Coats said the ultimate goal was to make the habitat healthy enough to thrive on its own.
“We have walked the site with city staff and community members in order to map the vehicle and public access routes. We have identified the fencing layout that will help reduce disturbance while preserving key access for the public as well as public safety like lifeguards. We’ve done a preliminary assessment of present vegetation and photographed site conditions,” Coats said.
District Three Councilwoman/Mayor Lisa Landau asked if she found that e-bikes posed a threat to the vegetation?
“E-bikes were one of the threats that sort of had been a concern of the local residents,” Coats said.
“I have my own personal opinions about how e-bikes can be unsafe, but also just blatantly going over the dune habitat, and the plants, which overall degrades the dunes,” Coats said.
Landau asked Police Chief Michael Henderson what people should do if they catch someone riding e-bikes on the dunes.
Henderson said they should call the police non-emergency line: (562) 594-7232.
