We don’t need to shut down the off-road park at the Oceano Dunes. We simply need to stop fighting and reach a compromise. Many parties are involved, and each needs to win something: off-roaders, Mesa residents, endangered species in the creek, Oceano residents, and Chumash sacred sites.
Health needs should come first and need to be met fully. I suggest fencing off the greatest source of PM10 particles (La Grande Tract) during wind season. The creek shouldn’t be crossed by vehicles to save the endangered species. At the end of Pier Avenue, cars should only turn north. The beach between Grand Avenue and Pier Avenue can be used for day-use only. This way, Oceano residents get their small piece with a safe, vehicle-free beach south of Pier Avenue and a more livable downtown. Day-use cars should not return through Pier Avenue to avoid tracking out sand and creating PM10.
Day-use cars should exit through the Oceano campground. Parks already has a road in place there, wide and in excellent conditions, through the foredunes onto the beach! This entrance could be used as an alternative to Pier Avenue. Chumash sites must be fenced off and rigorously protected. Off-roaders will need a new southern entrance. Since there is a smaller area to ride in, there should be a smaller number of visitors allowed. As with all other parks in the nation, the use of the park has to be monitored to adjust the number of visitors to its capacity.
Lucia Casalinuovo
Oceano
This article appears in Best of SLO County 2018.
The problem with the dunes is the supposed harm from 2.5 nm particles
The problem with the science regarding 2.5 nm particles is that so far it is “SECRET SCIENCE” , that is none of the data or study information is available. We must take it on trust that activists with agendas would only give accurate data…….
When it is shown that 2.5 nm particals were just an EPA grab for more authority over more of our lives and have no scientific basis , then all the folks who have suddenly started blaming illness on the dunes will be left with having to find out what is really causing their problems. Meanwhile they are on a ghost hunt that will not benefit their health, will delay them from real solutions and will hurt all who enjoy the dunes. When the EPA practices fraud, lots of people are hurt in ways the EPA experts would never consider.
Please see our documentaries “What We Need to Know About Oceano Beach and Dunes” at http://www.safebeachanddunes.org.
Before you believe such claims that there is “Secret Science”, “EPA fraud/authority grab”, or “ghost hunt”, see the science for yourself in the series “Danger Downwind”. We do not have to take it on trust that dust from vehicular activity on Oceano Beach and Dunes is a health hazard to those downwind.