Imagine Santa Monica’s flat-combed beach covered in pink and yellow wildflowers. It may sound outlandish, but it’s happening as we speak inside a small fenced-off restoration area just north of the Annenberg Beach House.
…Last December marked the one-year anniversary of The Bay Foundation’s pilot project to transform three acres of Santa Monica’s flat, highly groomed beach into a beautiful and healthy ecosystem. The goals are to provide a refuge for invertebrates, birds and native vegetation as well as evaluate shore protection from climate change and— on a beach that receives millions of visitors each year — show that human recreational use can be compatible with ecological restoration…