It doesn’t happen often, but it’s happening now: The Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA) south of Arroyo Grande Creek is closed to off-highway vehicles and has become a safe place for pedestrians.
But the closure is temporary. A few days after you read this, the Oceano Dunes may or may not have re-opened to off-road vehicles.
Why is the Oceano Dunes closed to vehicles right now? Because State Parks is finally being held accountable for violating federal law for 30 years. For decades State Parks postponed and submitted inadequate habitat conservation plans, the basis of the long overdue federal permit to “take”—meaning to incidentally harm or kill—threatened species in the ODSVRA. State Parks knowingly operated without that permit for decades and has still not been granted the required permit by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Accountability finally came via a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity that pushed State Parks to comply with federal law. In April, the court ruled, “the California Department of Parks and Recreation violated the Endangered Species Act by allowing motorized vehicle use that harms imperiled shorebirds,” resulting in the temporary ODSVRA closure.
Despite decades of violations and the recent court order, State Parks may still get its permit. But it shouldn’t. State Parks’ draft Oceano Dunes habitat conservation plan fails to meet the key requirement of a habitat conservation plan: to conserve habitat. Instead, it’s essentially a blueprint for taking land from threatened wildlife and giving it to vehicles.
If U.S. Fish and Wildlife gives State Parks a permit based on this inadequate draft habitat conservation plan, it would be another blow to the environment and local communities from the Trump administration.
When the ODSVRA was closed to off-highway vehicles during the COVID pandemic, the park’s chronic air pollution problem cleared up, deaths and injuries went to zero, the erosion of dunes was abated, and the plovers expanded their habitat. As the commission’s executive director observed, “The shutdown of the park due to the COVID crisis really presented an unusual situation whereby these snowy plovers took advantage of these now open and undisturbed areas of the beach and dunes to nest.”
State Parks’ response to this ecological success story was counterintuitive and illegal.
They obliterated habitat, scuffed out nests, and harassed plovers in an attempt to prevent the birds from expanding beyond their designated areas. This forced the Coastal Commission to issue a cease and desist order.
The COVID-era closure also provided a perfect economic case study. A Cal Poly economics professor reviewed the data from the closure and concluded that the suspension of off-road activities during COVID “did not have a material impact on the county’s economy” and “Oceano’s [lodging] revenue, actually, increased,” demonstrating that the economic necessity of the ODSVRA is severely overstated.
Despite decades of violations and the recent court order, State Parks may still get its permit. But it shouldn’t.
In reporting on the current closure, the LA Times got it wrong when it wrote that the ODSVRA “locked its gates” during the pandemic. Cars may have been barred, but people were welcome. For the first time in a long time, local community members dared to walk along the beach. Right now is another rare opportunity to enjoy Oceano Dunes.
While you still can, we encourage you to go to Oceano and visit the dunes while its safe to explore. New bike lanes have been added along Pier Avenue if you want to ditch your vehicle altogether. While you’re there, pop into some local restaurants and cafes—remind them you’re here to enjoy a safe beach and dunes.
As we look to the future, let’s examine what the Coastal Commission proposed five years ago to solve the ODSVRA’s chronic problems. Their vision didn’t close the dunes to the public and recreation but instead outlined a multi-year transition away from vehicular use: permitting hike-in and bike-in camping, closing the Pier Avenue entrance and only allowing car camping to the north of Pier Avenue. This would allow “the community to begin to plan for a revitalization of its main coastal street and accessway [which] would include a beach south of Pier Avenue without vehicles, allowing for the types of opportunities that help other California beach towns to prosper.” This is one of many proposals, including having a vehicle-free beach and various ideas to support and diversify the local economy.
The commission’s central finding should remain our compass: Off-highway vehicle recreation is fundamentally incompatible with the protection of coastal resources at the Oceano Dunes and the health of local communities. Decades of denial doesn’t make this any less true.
One thing’s for certain, now is the time to envision the future we want at Oceano Dunes and work toward building it together. It’s time to create opportunities in Oceano that help both this California beach town and the dunes’ sensitive species prosper. That sounds like a good place to begin. ∆
Gianna Patchen is chapter coordinator for the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club. Andrew Christie served as chapter director from 2004 to 2023. Send a letter for publication to letters@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in May 21-28, 2026.