“The coastal beach-dune ecosystem includes unique and increasingly rare habitats along the Pacific Coast. Several species are found in this system and no other.”
- USFWS Western Snowy Plover Recovery Plan - wildlife.
The beach-dune ecosystem is one of the most sensitive and declining habitat types on the west coast …
Though on the margins of a world class metropolis, San Francisco’s coastal areas still retain functioning ecosystems which contain plants and animals that struggle to survive despite the many urban pressures. Some species, like the
Western Snowy Plover, Brown Pelican, and San Francisco Lessingia, are on the
Federal Endangered Species List. Others, such as the Long-billed Curlew,
Whimbrel, Sanderling, Heermann’s Gull and Elegant Tern, are also vulnerable and are species of concern.
Beachgoers can, unknowingly, have adverse impacts on this sensitive ecosystem by disturbing wildlife, contributing to erosion, and supplementing predators. Through public education, awareness, and good stewardship practices, a balance can be achieved that will accommodate people as well as

“Some of these sensitive species have many threats in common with the western snowy plover.”
- USFWS Western Snowy Plover Recovery Plan -
Snowy Plovers have occupied this coastal shoreline for thousands of years, along with a variety of other bird species that use this habitat for resting and refueling.
Long-billed Curlew
Shorebirds such as Black-bellied
Plover, Whimbrel, and
Sanderling who breed in the high arctic; and Willet, Long-billed
Curlew, and Marbled Godwit who breed in the North American interior, all use our coastal beaches as a wintering grounds.

Whimbrel
Mixed flock
In the summer, flocks of Heermann’s Gulls and Elegant Terns
(both species of concern) disperse northward from Mexico after breeding to rest and feed on San
Francisco’s beaches and nearshore waters.
Mixed flock
Mixed flock
Heermann’s Gull

Unique communities of low growing plant species inhabit the dune ecosystems of the
Pacific Coast. These plant communities play an important role in shaping and maintaining dune structure as well as providing for an expanded web of biodiversity. Here are a few e xamples…
Pink sand-verbena

Yellow sand-verbena
Beach saltbush
Beach evening primrose

“Proper stewardship of this unique ecosystem is needed to maintain its ecological integrity while meeting its human demands.”
- USFWS Western Snowy Plover Recovery Plan -
The tidal zone along the Pacific Coast is a fragile environment that is home to numerous species of organisms. Each delicate plant and animal occupies a precise niche in the ecosystem. Humans, often unwittingly, are the cause of numerous impacts on this ecosystem including: sedimentation, chemical runoff, litter and pollution, disturbance and habitat loss.
Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods