“Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
‘Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot”
—”Big Yellow Taxi”
This seems to be the plan of California State Parks’ proposed southern dune buggy entrance at Oso Flaco. Their proposal: 225 campsites, a “kids’ practice track” (whatever that means), and a staging area for 100 off-highway vehicles to traverse what is now a panoramic vista of dunes and environmentally sensitive habitat area.
What are they thinking? Yes, Oceano is now bearing the assault of the off-highway vehicles, but opening up Oso Flaco will move that mayhem south and probably won’t alleviate Oceano’s problem.
At Oso Flaco there are no amenities, no supermarkets or gas stations nearby other than on Tefft in Nipomo. What’s more, this is a vibrant farming area in which RVs would have to traverse roads that include lumbering farm vehicles and 18-wheelers taking produce to market. Add to that a dangerous Union Pacific rail crossing on Oso Flaco Road, which is a disaster just waiting to happen with the increased traffic.
While “on paper” this seems to be a viable plan, especially when there is a plan for an expanded boardwalk area, but in reality … they want to “pave paradise and put up a parking lot.”
Laurance Shinderman
Nipomo
This article appears in Mar 14-24, 2019.
Agreed. So what can the community do to voice their disapproval? I have been speaking to numerous people in my neighborhood and at work none of whom knew anything about this horrible project until I mentioned it. They have been horrified and want to DO something. So how do we mobilize? What is the next step? I will say it again: preservation and conservation outweigh destructive recreation. Also, I think the state underestimates the value of ecotourism, including birding, for example, which is a major draw to the area. Humanity needs quiet, wild, open places where one can hear oneself think amid the chirping of rare chickadees. Not everything needs to be developed into Disneyland. Rough around the edges is ok! Better than ok, Id say. Save it, dont pave it.