Dune Habitat and Ecosystem Restored Thanks to the 16-year Vision and Commitment of Carmel-by-the-Sea Garden Club

GCA Grant Helps Native Plants Flourish and Pollinators Thrive in the North Dunes of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

February 11, 2026

By: Diana Fish and Meg Nichols

Many GCA-funded civic grants support clubs’ impactful conservation and restoration efforts in their communities.  For the past 2 years, the GCA has awarded the Carmel-by-the-Sea Garden Club (CBTSGC) a Partners for Plants (P4P) grant to continue its North Dunes Habitat Restoration project in Carmel, California.

Sixteen years ago, the project came into being as part of a nationwide effort by GCA clubs to celebrate the Centennial anniversary of The Garden Club of America (founded in 1913). The club chose the North Dunes for its Centennial Project because it was an obvious, significant ecological area in great need of restoration. The North Dunes were no longer a prime coastal dune habitat for plant and animal life or pollinators.  The site was overgrown with invasive weeds and littered with broken glass, cans, and trash. 

In 2009, CBTSGC began collaborating with the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea to restore a part of the North Dunes and received a permit from the California Coastal Commission to work there. The club installed benches overlooking the Dunes and created educational signage to inform and enhance visitors’ experience. CBTSGC received its first GCA P4P grant for the North Dunes in 2019. The funds paid for a supervising botanist who has been integral to the restoration project. She oversaw the careful propagation of native plants from site-specific seed. 

Today, the club’s planted area is transformed from its original state. The North Dunes are flourishing with native plants as well as wildlife.