During COVID when the Oceano Dunes beach was closed to vehicular traffic, I walked the beach every day. I’d never really had the opportunity to see it without having to dodge cars and trucks speeding down the beach. I took pictures of glorious sunsets, the plovers from a distance, of course, and other sea life.
Then the beach was reopened to traffic, and I can’t tell you how many times I was nearly run over by careless drivers or even witnessed people driving in the ocean.
Plastic bottles, broken glass, garbage overflowing the bins. I stopped going to the beach after that and have not returned since. Please keep these beaches for people who enjoy nature and not to those who destroy and pollute it with their garbage and then go home and leave it for others to clean up their messes.
Lydia Rodenhuis
Oceano
This article appears in May 14-21, 2026.