Beach 8 Dune Restoration

Both the land and the communities of Presque Isle are constantly changing. In ecological terms, all ecosystems experience disturbance and succession. A disturbance is an event that disrupts and ecological community. Presque Isle experienced a large disturbance around Beach 8 a few years ago when weather events knocked out some of the dunes there.

A disturbance like this is often followed by a period of recovery or ecological succession. You might be familiar forests regrowing after a fire. Beach dunes also go through a process of recovery. In the case of Presque Isle’s lost dunes, this could take decades. To help speed up the process the Regional Science Consortium and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources have teamed up to restore the lost dunes. This project seeks to restore two sections of the dune along this swimming area through physical restoration of the dunes themselves, and propagation of native species from the park.

With the help of heavy equipment, about 27,000 tons of sand was used to rebuild the Beach 8 dunes in April 2025. DCNR maintenance workers expertly shape the dunes to mimic what had been lost. Native plants were hand planted by RSC staff and volunteers on the freshly piled sand. These plants will help hold the sand in place and provide food for wildlife.

In order to monitor the effect that the replenishment is having on the overall beach area, the RSC can use aerial photography and photogrammetry in order to create a 3D model of the entire beach area. These models can compare conditions of the beach between years, and can even be used to calculate changes in sand volume across the whole beach. To track the recovery process, RSC staff will be monitoring pollinators with the use of Blue Vane Traps and aerial netting.  Stay tuned to hear about exciting developments in this project!