In 1910, Oregon planted European beachgrass to stabilize shifting dunes; it spread along the coast, reshaped the landscape and squeezed open sandy habitat used by native wildlife

• European beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria) is now well established in the Oregon dunesIn 1910, Oregon introduced European beachgrass near Coos Bay to stabilise its shifting dunes.
• The plant trapped moving sand and helped hold the dunes in place as it was meant to.
• But as the beachgrass spread, it changed the coastal landscape and reduced the open, shifting sand habitats that native plants and animals had adapted to.