Thank you to the California Coastal Commission for its futurist reimaging of the park in the newly released staff report for the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. Due to the park’s closure to OHVs last year, many people have for the first time experienced the magnificence of the Oceano Dunes.
This area is a geological wonder and is the largest intact coastal dunes system in the world. The new staff report shows that off-road riding degrades the habitat, causes air quality issues, and does not economically contribute to Oceano as much as off-road riders want the public to believe.
Local residents and visitors would spend more time and money in Oceano if they felt it was a safe environment for pedestrian enjoyment. Other beach communities are thriving even during pandemic times!
But what does State Parks propose? Moving the problem south in its draft plan. This would dramatically impact Oso Flaco and change land use where Phillips 66 is into an area with everything from a gun range to more riding, as well as increased traffic, light, noise, and air pollution.
Support the Coastal Commission and save this unique dunes area. State Parks has failed to come up with a solution.
Linda Reynolds
Nipomo
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 4, 2021.
Couldn’t agree more! Since state parks continues to thumb its nose at the CCC and people who want protection of these priceless resources to take precedent, I’d suggest a letter campaign to Newsom who claims to be concerned about climate change and the accelerating loss of biodiversity. He needs to reign in the pro-fossil fuel elements in his agency!
The pro-biodestruction elements are alive and well. They want to continue using the Beach and Dunes for their hedonistic limited vision of reality. There is not a bio-diverse environment that they will not use for their nefarious purposes and short-sighted thrill seeking. While there are other areas that are not so biologically sensitive that fits their basic purposes and areas within San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties that can be purposed for their use, they insist on their “God given right” to ravage anything they deem appropriate.
Check this out before continuing to complain about Oceano’s dunes use.
https://www.californiabeaches.com/map/best…
“Oceano Dunes is probably the best known dunes on the California Coast. There ATV’s and dune buggies can roam around the vast expanse and make all the noise they want. Just a few miles to the south there’s a similarly-sized quiet dunes that is little known and seldom visited because Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge has no direct access “
“One of the best places to play in the sand is a unique spot called The Crater. At this location right next to the beach on Monterey Bay you’ll find a depression with sand rising up on all sides. Another spot is next to Thornhill Broome Beach between Malibu and Ventura. “
Of 44 listed sites along the California coast, only Oceano allows vehicles.
The so called COASTAL COMISSION has always been nothing more then a left wing kill your project group…wake up people…dont you see where this all leads?….control of the many by a few….
@Gail Katherine Lightfoot It is not a vast expanse. If you want to see a Crater go to Northern California and see the real thing. Residents of Oceano are constantly reminded of vehicles on the beach as they noisily fill the air with their whine, fill the beach and sand with harmful hydrocarbons, spew plumes of contaminated dust into the air creating a toxic mixture for those above and below, leave the area blighted and paying for their medical emergencies, bring unwelcome criminals into our midst, do not particularly enrich our economy or our life experiences, etc. When vehicles are in the dunes and on the beach, this usually peaceful community no longer exists. Before you speak, maybe you should live here. You will note that no other community on the California coast has these problems and are doing quite well. Let the ATV population use the facilities provided in other locales. Tourists who bring prosperity to the Central Coast are welcome. The article makes a well developed argument for just that.