page_title: Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes
section_title: Geography and environment
hierarchical_section_title: Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes / Geography and environment
caption_attribution_description: English: Beach at the Guadalupe Dunes County Park (also called Rancho Guadalupe Dunes).
context_page_description: Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes is the largest remaining dune system south of San Francisco and the second largest in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses an 18-mile stretch of coastline on the Central Coast of California and extends from southern San Luis Obispo County to northern Santa Barbara County.
  The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex is home to a unique dunes ecosystem as well as many endangered and threatened species of plants and animals. To protect the dunes environment, much of the Complex has been set aside for conservation. In addition, it is recognized as a National Natural Landmark.
  Another portion of the Dunes is utilized for recreation, such as camping and Off-Road Vehicle use. The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes is owned by a number of federal, state, and local agencies, and private companies, organizations and individuals. These include the counties of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, California State Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County.
context_section_description: The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes were formed by a combination of factors including beach sand which was blown inland by the wind and the Santa Maria River which brought sediment to the coast. Dune-building began 18,000 years ago with the Nipomo and Orcutt Mesas. This Dune System has the highest dunes on the entire western coastline of the United States. Among these, Mussel Rock Dune is the highest, measuring approximately 500 feet (150 m). Another rare geographic treasure is Oso Flaco Lake, a freshwater lake located amid the Dunes.
  Even though the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes consist of moving sand with extremely low moisture that is seemingly deprived of nutrients, it is home to a variety of flora and fauna. There are at least 18 endangered species of plants living in the Dunes.  Dune plants must also be able to endure burial by sand, salt spray, high winds, and high insolation.
  The dunes are separated into uplands and wetlands habitats.  Uplands include the fore dunes, back dunes, and sandy beaches.  Dunes can occur in three different formations.  Primary Foredunes are parallel to the shore and support sparse vegetation.  Parabolic dunes are "U" shaped and perpendicular to the shore with vegetative ridges.  Moving sand sheets consist of constantly moving sand, making it hard for vegetation to settle. The fore dunes begin at the high tide line, where only low growing plants with deep root systems (such as sand verbena) can live. The strong winds, salt spray, and massive amounts of sand make this area uninhabitable for other types of plants.  Plants in the dunes adapt growth forms to survive high winds.  Some grow close to the ground to avoid the wind and others adopt a Krummholz growth form.  The back dunes, just behind the fore dunes, are stabilized and covered with plants. The back dunes are dominated by shrub species like mock heather, dune lupine, coastal buckwheat, and blochman's senecio. The sandy beaches are a harsh environment with no plants able to survive there.  The wetlands include the areas that contain water: salt marshes, fresh and brackish-water marshes, swamps, and mudflats.  Plants that live there are adapted to dynamic environmental conditions including high salinity concentration and extreme temperatures.  Solutions that the plants can take to adapt to high salinity are large tap roots to reach the perched water table, thick cuticle to prevent water loss, and succulence.
  Weeds have been introduced into the Dunes environment both purposefully and accidentally and threaten the native plant life.  Various native plants are being choked out by invasive species like European beach grass.  European beach grass achieves higher cover than native dune grass and is stimulated to grow by sand burial, causing a positive feedback.
  Many species of animals can be found among the dunes.  Over 200 species of birds live there, such as the western snowy plover, American peregrine falcon, California brown pelican, and California least tern.  Other animals also depend on the dunes such as the california red-legged frog, coast garter snake, deer, black bear, bobcats, and mountain lions. Beetles, butterflies, lizards, saltwater and freshwater fish inhabit the dunes as well.
caption: Beach at the Guadalupe Dunes County Park
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