By Jasmine Contreras
As we collectively strive for a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future, we would like to draw your attention to a problematic and alarming issue right here in Santa Monica – the impact of beach grooming on our environment and its relevance to climate.
Beach grooming involves diesel-powered, tractor-style vehicles regularly driving up and down the coast, raking and flattening miles of sandy shores during the early morning hours. This practice has implications for carbon emissions, plant growth, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and resilience against rising sea levels.
Last fall, CASM studied some of the effects of beach grooming. In addition to altering the beach habitat and removing trash, the process also shreds beach trash into smaller pieces, which are harder to remove. As these vehicles traverse hundreds of miles, they also emit carbon. The sandy shores of Santa Monica, artificially expanded decades ago with millions of cubic feet of imported sand, are nonetheless a vital habitat for various wildlife, including the endangered snowy plover, which nests here in Santa Monica.
Beach grooming is carried out primarily for aesthetic reasons, with a prevailing belief that beaches should be wide, flat, and devoid of vegetation. Additionally, it serves the essential purposes of trash removal and the ability to drive trucks on the beach for emergency management. However, these well-intentioned purposes have unintended consequences, adversely impacting wildlife and the natural environment.
Images captured immediately after grooming show minimal large trash pieces but reveal a startling truth – the shredding of large items into smaller, more challenging-to-manage fragments. It’s a call to action for Santa Monica, our government, and the community.
The exciting and successful establishment of native plants on the beach also presents an excellent opportunity to think of our beach dunes as living climate resources. A living dunes ecosystem can sequester carbon, provide habitat for wildlife, make our community more resilient to rising sea levels and storm surges, and offer new types of nature-based recreation and tourism. Thriving habitats can co-exist with other uses.
It’s time to start a dialogue on beach grooming practices. As a leader in environmental innovation, Santa Monica can pioneer needed change globally; grooming affects beaches worldwide. What if we could employ smaller zero-emission vehicles when needed and promote human stewardship? Let’s promote education, outreach, and policy changes that are future-oriented and climate-smart.
For a comprehensive understanding of our study, please watch this presentation on the study by CASM’s Jasmine Contreras. You will also learn about the Dunes Restoration project led by The Bay Foundation and the City of Santa Monica.