It’s been six months since vehicles were allowed in the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA), and some community members want it to stay that way—at least until the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.
Hundreds have signed a petition aimed at keeping the Oceano Dunes closed to vehicles for the duration of the pandemic or until cases in SLO County and surrounding areas fall within “acceptable levels in accordance with the state’s criteria.” As of Sept. 22, more than 1,200 people had signed the petition, which was addressed to SLO County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein and State Parks and was released online in mid-September by the Dunes Alliance, a coalition of organizations aimed at keeping the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes complex environmentally sustainable.
“Protecting our public health must be the priority,” the petition reads. “Therefore, we call upon our local public health officer, Dr. Penny Borenstein, and the director of California State Parks, Armando Quintero, to help prevent the spread of coronavirus by keeping the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area closed to vehicles. Doing so will avoid dangerous visitation surges in San Luis Obispo County from areas with higher rates of COVID-19.”
The Oceano Dunes SVRA has been closed to vehicles since March 26, when State Parks closed the park in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Despite budding reopening plans in the summer, State Parks agreed to keep the Oceano Dunes closed to vehicles through Oct. 1 in a consensual cease and desist order with the California Coastal Commission.
In the order, which was finalized on July 7, State Parks agreed to halt a number of development activities that the commission claimed were unpermitted and possibly harmful to snowy plovers. Without vehicles in the area throughout the spring, snowy plovers built nests outside their “seasonal exclosures”—designated breeding areas that are off limits to vehicles and visitors—and State Parks had attempted to prevent plovers from nesting in those areas in preparation for reopening.
The closure has offered some community members a chance to see what the dunes would look like without the thousands of buggies, four-wheelers, and dirt bikes that roll through each year.
“The public has been enjoying the beach,” Oceano resident Enrique Diaz told New Times. “No traffic. It’s quiet. No alarms going back and forth with the ambulances and the fires.”
Diaz said he’s lived in Oceano for about 40 years. He lives right next to the Oceano Dunes, but because of the traffic, he said he usually goes elsewhere if he wants to enjoy a nice quiet walk or just sit and enjoy nature. Now, he said, he can enjoy his neighborhood beach without seeing piles of trash or worrying about getting “run over.”
“It’s really nice,” Diaz said.
Still, Diaz doesn’t think vehicles should be entirely banned at the dunes. He’d just like to see SLO County build a different entrance, so that the portion of the beach closest to Pismo Beach could be opened for strictly non-vehicular activities. That would allow for the best of both worlds, he said, but such a change is not likely to happen before the fast approaching Oct. 1 deadline.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen now,” he said.
Many don’t see it that way. SLO County residents like Lea Rigo-Hensley, president of Freedom Ropes, want the dunes opened to vehicles as soon as possible, for both a much-needed boost to the local economy and the outdoor recreation it would provide at a time when many are wary of spending too much time indoors.
On Sept. 22, Rigo-Hensley launched her own online petition calling on State Parks to reopen the SVRA to vehicles as soon as possible. Spending time camping and riding outdoors in your social bubble is one of the few low-risk ways to get out right now, Rigo-Hensley told New Times. A lot of tourists come to the coast for the Oceano Dunes, she said, but she said tourists are already here, especially in Pismo Beach.
A lot of people seem to agree. Within 24 hours, Rigo-Hensley’s petition accumulated more than 2,200 signatures.
“I think the dunes should be 100 percent open,” Rigo-Hensley said, “and should have been months ago.”
State Parks and SLO County Public Health both confirmed that reopening plans for the Oceano Dunes SVRA are in the works, but neither gave a specific reopening date.
“The county Public Health Department has worked with state officials on plans to restore coastal access and allow limited vehicle use on Pismo State Beach and Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, following a previous closure to vehicle traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Michelle Shoresman, a spokesperson for Public Health. “Vehicle limits may be temporarily reduced and would allow vehicles on the beach for day use only, with no car camping or off-highway vehicle recreation on the dunes.” Δ
This article appears in Autumn Arts Annual 2020.
I’ve been a SLO resident for two decades and use to jog along the Pismo to Oceano beach. Yet having to turn around every 30-second to see if a jumbo-tron vehicle was on my heels wore me out.
Close this area to vehicles and open it up to only people. Permanently.
Please.
I’ve been a resident in some form or another for over 30 years; first in Arroyo Grande, and now, for over 20 years in Oceano. Not only have we loved having beach access for OHV use, but the five cities area literally depends in the tax base revenue from the 2.3 million OHV visitors to the dunes annually FOR THEIR LIVELIHOOD.
Those folks demanding OHV access to the beach be permanently closed don’t care their actions are completely illegal. Tax payers fund the staffing and maintenance of a public area for which they demand exclusionary use. This is a violation of all tax payers rights and is JUST.PLAIN.WRONG. It’s also a violation for the physically handicapped as the only way they can realistically access this area is via a vehicle.
There are literally 3,348.61 thousand miles of California coastline that those wishing to access for recreational use without vehicles have at their disposal. WHY close this tiny space to OHV use??? Stop being selfish. Stop violating millions of users rights!
With the closure, the Dunes have been among the best places in the County for locals to get outdoors while staying safe & distant. Re-opening now would eliminate a resource that enhances public safety and protects local residents while we’re finally starting to get some semblance of a handle on this pandemic (locally, if not nationally).
Longer term, the debate over whether this resource should be available for vehicle use in the first place always focuses on the loss of tax revenue from vehicle recreation without acknowledging the potential for expanding non-vehicle-based tourism, which would ultimately be a better fit with the Dune’s incredible ecological value.
If you want evidence for how seriously the off-road crowd is taking Covid-19, look no further than the quote from one of their own representatives in the article: “I think the dunes should be 100 percent open,” Rigo-Hensley said, “and should have been months ago.” That says it all. But if you need more proof, go to the off-roaders’ petition and look at the photo they used. Is that what they consider to be social distancing? A “bubble” of 100 people? Talk about “unclear on the concept”! chris
I I first drove my dunebuggy on Pismo/Oceano dunes in 1969. My wfe and two sons were always with me when we were tthere. We came with 14 other families that belonged to the Rutrunners dune buggy club. We wen there at least twice a year.
About 28 years ago we moved down to the central coast (Mipomo) and still have our dunebuggy. We don’t get to the dunes often any more as I am 77, but both my sons and their daughters enjoy they dunes.
This is a joy filled area and it should not be closed.
If the State of California decided to provide equal, traditional public beach access at Oceano Beach and a Public Works Plan that is compliant with the Coastal Act, the State would plan to remove non-governmental vehicles from the beach. It’s time for CA State Parks to design a Public Works Plan that is more compatible with Oceano’s community (human and animal) and beach. Planning a campground with traditional, lower-impact beach access meets both of those objectives.
Oceano beach is not closed. It’s open! to people – kids, seniors, families, surfers, walkers, dog walkers, picnics, kite flyers, sand castle builders, volleyball players, fishermen, bike riders, boogie boarders, birders, etc….. Go visit. Just leave your vehicles on the pavement. Is that really SO hard!
According to the Public Health Department Oceano Dunes will still not be open to camping and off-road vehicles use, just for driving on the beach. It’s been soo nice without the cars. A whole new world out there. Why do we need cars on the beach? Get your butt out of the car and walk on the beach. You’ll enjoy it much better.
“Vehicle limits may be temporarily reduced and would allow vehicles on the beach for day use only, with no car camping or off-highway vehicle recreation on the dunes.” Δ
My family and I Iook forward to camping on the beach in the Oceano Dunes every Thanksgiving week. It is our tradition that is LOVED by our entire family. Every person we have ever taken there has fell in love with it. CA has a ton of beaches to fly kites, build sand castles, walk dogs, play volleyball, fish, etc. and we do ALL of those things during out stay on the beach, but we also ride quads. It is thrilling! and a big draw, nowhere else can you do all of these things while camping directly on the beach. Seems like the people who want the quad riders to go away have never experienced it. So how can they judge and say to take this away from us. Do you realize that hard working people who fix your cars, build your homes and office buildings, pave roads, and work on farms enjoy pastimes such as this. You need these folks to make your world liveable. Not all folks like what you like. You can find your kind of beaches all along the coast, this is the only beach like this for us. Its been like this for years and should stay this way and yes it should be open. Our family does not even come within 30 feet of another person while there, we do not drink alcohol, smoke anything, and do not congregate with 100 people. We also typically spend our money in your town during our stay but would refrain from doing so during COVID if needed, we just want the beach camping to be with our family. Respect the differences of others in this world. Do what makes you happy and we want the opportunity to do what makes us happy. Quit trying to close the beach because it is annoying to you, and then come up with a new excuse regarding the environment every time you turn around. It’s America, quit trying to take away everything we hold dear and be fair. We are not asking for all CA beaches to be open to OHV’s only ONE. I don’t think that is asking too much.
Vote Democrat.
Keep the beaches closed.
Screw all the people who rely on the dunes for their income- go on welfare.
Screw all the citizens of California who pay for access to the beaches.
Screw the fact that millions of people use California freeways every single day without a single incident of KungFlu infection due to driving.
Vote Democrat, stay home, wait for your welfare check.