John Wonke, a senior environmental scientist with Denise Duffy & Associates, presented the North Dunes Habitat Restoration Project Year 9 monitoring report and summarized work over the past year.

"The goal for native cover is greater than 50%," Wonke said. "The goal for non native cover is less than 10%." He reported native cover remains above the 50% success threshold and non-native cover dropped to about 9% this spring, down from 16% the previous year.

Wonke said staff and contractors focused an increased level of effort on invasive-plant control in the southern half of the site, hand-removed large amounts of ice plant and completed acacia trimming and removal in targeted areas. He estimated contractor removal of ice plant at roughly 40 cubic yards and said volunteer groups — including Carmel Garden Club, high-school groups and the Native Solutions volunteer program — continued to supply much of the on-the-ground labor.

On the federally and state-listed endangered Teichstrom's (Tyghstrom's/Tide) lupine, Wonke reported a census count of 472 plants this year, down from 583 the prior year. He said the drop was driven mainly by fewer seedlings at the main occurrence near the boardwalk and noted U.S. Fish and Wildlife and other agencies cite annual rain-pattern fluctuations as a factor that can strongly affect seedling recruitment.

"We sample 18 fixed transects...and we do a complete census for the rare lupine," Wonke said, describing methods used for the monitoring.

Recommendations: Wonke recommended continuing the increased contractor effort and volunteer coordination, expanding focused ice-plant removal into the northern half of North Dunes (near the Fourth Avenue boardwalk and drainage), and prioritizing removal of Acacia (Sydney golden wattle/plume acacia) that has expanded into restored areas.

Commissioners asked why the southern half had been prioritized in 2025 and whether the main lupine colony near the boardwalk was receiving sufficient attention; Wonke said last year's work concentrated nearer Ocean Avenue in part for access reasons and that the restoration is intended to be a multiyear effort. He said the steep drop in lupine counts likely reflects multiple factors — weather-driven seedling loss, possible animal or foot-trampling impacts — and that replanting young lupine requires permits.

Joey Kanepa of Native Solutions was cited as coordinating the volunteer program; Wonke reported Kanepa previously held a permit to outplant lupine seedlings but that the permit had expired and that active planting of the species had paused as a result. Wonke said agencies such as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife typically issue permits for planting and handling of protected species.

Funding and operations: Commissioners pressed staff to estimate the contractor hours and costs needed to "hit" remaining ice-plant stands hard enough to reduce reinvasion; Wonke suggested calculating a per-square-foot or per-ton cost from this year's contractor work and applying that to remaining areas. He and commissioners estimated it could take another two years of elevated contractor effort, supported by volunteers, to substantially reduce ice-plant reinvasion and manage acacia expansion.

Next steps: staff will prioritize continued maintenance, move toward increased control in the northern half of North Dunes, maintain volunteer coordination, and identify funding options (contractor allocation, city funds, grants) to sustain elevated effort for the coming seasons.