A Year‑9 monitoring report for the North Dunes Habitat Restoration Project found the site met its native cover goal and reduced nonnative cover after an intensive weed‑control effort, but counts for the endangered tide‑stream lupine declined from last year.

John Wonke, senior environmental scientist at Denise Duffy & Associates, told the commission the spring monitoring across 18 fixed transects measured native cover at slightly above last year’s level, meeting the restoration success criterion of greater than 50 percent. Nonnative cover dropped from 16 percent the previous year to 9 percent this year — below the project goal of less than 10 percent — a change he attributed to increased contractor control efforts and possibly to drier weather patterns.

On the federally threatened tide‑stream lupine, the census decreased from 583 plants to 472 plants compared with the prior count. Wonke said the drop was driven largely by fewer seedlings in a primary occurrence near the boardwalk and that annual fluctuations tied to rainfall are one plausible explanation; he noted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guidance recognizes precipitation variability as a threat to the species. He also cited possible trampling and animal impacts as additional factors and said that propagation and outplanting are difficult and were not currently being done because a permit for that work had expired.

Wonke described maintenance activity over the monitoring year: volunteers coordinated by Native Solutions and Carmel Garden Club removed significant handloads of ice plant; contractors and city staff carried out larger mechanical ice‑plant removal in the southern half of the site and performed acacia trimming/removal in some bluff and dune areas. He estimated contractor removal this year at roughly 40 cubic yards of ice plant from certain sites (an approximate figure), and volunteers removed at least a ton of material by hand. He also said the city’s contractor and staff had increased their level of effort compared with prior years.

Consultants recommended continued focused removal — particularly moving efforts into the northern half of North Dunes where acacia and ice plant remain extensive — and suggested another 2 years of higher‑intensity contractor work combined with sustained volunteer maintenance to push nonnative cover lower and protect lupine occurrences. Wonke emphasized monitoring and follow‑up removal are necessary because ice plant and other nonnative species reestablish quickly without persistent effort.

Commissioners and public speakers pressed staff about funding and capacity. Consultants and staff suggested producing a cost estimate by applying 2025 contractor costs per square footage to remaining infested areas and pursuing grants or council funding if accelerated work is desired. Staff also said the project’s coastal development permit will be updated and that renewal and permit conditions will be part of preparing next steps.

No formal votes were taken; staff and consultants said they would continue monitoring, prioritize additional removal in the northern site, and evaluate options for funding and permitting for replanting work.