Balance Lost and Found Again

Decades of logging, grazing, recreation, and foot traffic brought Asilomar's dune ecosystem to the brink of extinction. When the Young Women's Christian Association established the Asilomar summer camp grounds in 1913, the dunes became a recreation area. By the time California State Parks acquired Asilomar in 1956, the dunes were crisscrossed with walking paths. Foot traffic damaged remaining native vegetation, weakened the towering dunes, and permitted the sand to blow away. In 1984, California State Parks embarked on a dune restoration project. This required removal of non-native plants, propagation of plants genetically native to Asilomar's dunes, and construction of a boardwalk to provide a pathway through this fragile ecosystem. Today, the dunes have been returned to a near pristine state with native plants and animals, and Dunes Natural Preserve status protects Asilomar's dunes for the future.

Pacific Grove, California · United States