Ban the use and remove European Beachgrass from the Oregon Coast!

The Oregon Coast is at risk from the invasive European Beach Grass.  Once pristine, expansive beaches are being replaced by thousands and thousands of cubic yards of sand. Introduced along the West Coast in the late 1800s and early 1900s in an attempt to stabilize shorelines, the European Beachgrass changed the natural sand movement.  Blowing sand is now caught by the beachgrass, causing drastic dune growth while destroying the habitat of native plants and animals.

• European Beachgrass is one of the most pervasive exotic plant species threatening the West Coast. It is everywhere and not only creating problems for plants but animals such as the endangered western snowy plover by increasing predator cover.
                        Oregon State University

The deep rooted grass is listed as a “weed” by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and an “invasive species” by the National Park Service and the State of California.  Oregon's southern neighbor started removing European Beachgrass from its shoreline more than 20 years ago. While the U.S. Forest Service has a removal project at the Oregon Dunes, the state has taken no action to remove or control the planting of this invasive species.

Without state action, planting of the invasive European Beachgrass continues along the Oregon Coast. In Cannon Beach, a recent study found European Beachgrass caught and deposited more than 300,000 cubic yards of sand on one of our nation's most picturesque beaches.  The result is narrowing beaches and  60-foot high sand dunes where none existed before. Despite the evidence of the invasive species altering the natural environment, City officials in this town of 1,700 recently put in place a new Foredune Management Plan that requires the continued planting of European Beachgrass. 

Sign the Petition to Ban and Remove European Beachgrass!  Save the Oregon Coast!