People bring dune buggies, trucks, and a whole manner of vehicles to race and recreate at the park, as well as holding bonfires and camping. Because it is the only beach that allows off roading in the state, it attracts visitors from all over. The park is the source of long-standing tension, which have previously been written about on the blog here and here, explaining the basics of much of the fraught issue.
In addition to being the site of popular vehicle recreation, the sand dunes and beach are also habitat for two federally protected shorebirds: the Western snowy plover and the California least tern. During the winter months these birds nest in the sand and can be hard to spot, as well as easily disturbed by people, dogs, and vehicles. The dune environment would normally provide an ideal habitat for these birds, offering both access to forage for food as well as protection from predators.
The tension between the endangered species present on the dunes and the vehicle access goes back at least 40 years, and has recently been complicated and compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. This past spring of 2020 when the state shut down for the pandemic, the park closed to off-roaders for seven months. The birds took the opportunity to expand their nesting area, and expanded past their protected, fenced-in zone. According to Cal Matters,
In addition to being the site of popular vehicle recreation, the sand dunes and beach are also habitat for two federally protected shorebirds: the Western snowy plover and the California least tern. During the winter months these birds nest in the sand and can be hard to spot, as well as easily disturbed by people, dogs, and vehicles. The dune environment would normally provide an ideal habitat for these birds, offering both access to forage for food as well as protection from predators.
The tension between the endangered species present on the dunes and the vehicle access goes back at least 40 years, and has recently been complicated and compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. This past spring of 2020 when the state shut down for the pandemic, the park closed to off-roaders for seven months. The birds took the opportunity to expand their nesting area, and expanded past their protected, fenced-in zone. According to Cal Matters,
In response, park biologists in early June scuffed over and erased plover “scrapes”— excavations by male birds to attract females and establish nests. Park personnel also herded and moved some chicks from the new areas, and installed mylar flags to haze the birds away from the riding zones…
These actions violated the Endangered Species Act, and the Coastal Commission filed a cease and desist letter against the park in June.
Proponents of vehicle use of the dunes held a “Freedom Flag Rally” to demonstrate their support for reopening the dunes. Local business owners spoke up about the impact the pandemic closure was having on their business, and their reliance on the park and its visitors. Pictures of the rally show many American flags as well as Trump banners— showing an intersection and melding together of the politicization of the pandemic as well as the existing land use, conservation, and access issues. It seems that for many, use of the park carries additional symbolic meaning about where they stand politically.
Proponents of vehicle use of the dunes held a “Freedom Flag Rally” to demonstrate their support for reopening the dunes. Local business owners spoke up about the impact the pandemic closure was having on their business, and their reliance on the park and its visitors. Pictures of the rally show many American flags as well as Trump banners— showing an intersection and melding together of the politicization of the pandemic as well as the existing land use, conservation, and access issues. It seems that for many, use of the park carries additional symbolic meaning about where they stand politically.
The park reopened to vehicle access in late October 2020 in a phased reopening plan, which postponed the reintroduction of non street-legal vehicles and overnight camping. As of this writing the start dates of the second and third phases of reopening have yet to be set.
In addition to the habitat concerns on the beach, the dust from the dunes drifts throughout the area and into the predominantly Latinx community of Oceano-- implicating environmental and health concerns that ought to be taken into account about who is most impacted by the park’s presence. A recent letter to the editor in the Santa Maria Sun from an Oceano community member calls for prioritizing safe beachfront access for the Oceano community rather than use for beach drivers. The author compares the way access to nature is treated in other parts of the county, with popular developed parks such as the Pismo Preserve, Nipomo Regional Park, and Bob Jones Bike Trail, to the way Oceano’s natural resources are treated— pointing out a clear difference and inequity.
Oceano is an unincorporated community situated within a mixed rural and non-rural, agricultural county with a huge range of socio-economic advantage and disadvantage. The voices of people who live in this community and who are impacted by the environmental consequences ought to be listened to in planning for the future of this park. A more thorough accounting of the needs of the community would also look to historic and present day Indigenous perspectives. This thread has potentially been lost, both by those who advocate for the total reopening of the dunes, or by outside environmentalists.
The Oceano dunes are a site where differing priorities regarding conservation, the environment, pandemic safety, and how our public lands ought to be used and managed, as well as who they are for, all converge on the beach of a small unincorporated community. Resolving this clash will likely continue to be a key, and complicated, issue.
6 comments:
Great write up Amelia. I believe that the economic conditions caused by the shutdown will lead to a lot of policy decisions that favor commerce over the environment. It seems like this might be a prime example of that.
This was a really fascinating read! I was not aware of the Oceano Dunes and the ability for individuals to drive directly on the sand, which seems quite counter to California's purported environmental protection policies. It is interesting that at the start of shelter in place in March 2020, many wildlife and plant environments began to thrive without humans going into them. But when people realized the one thing they could do was go outside, it seems the shift was sudden and incredibly detrimental for the environment, with more people invading the natural environment than before the pandemic. I really appreciated your addition of the racial intersections within Oceano as outsiders invade. It can be such a difficult weighing when a small town is reliant on tourism, but that same tourism is bringing unwanted side effects.
Great post, Amelia! I would've loved to have witnessed the rally for those who were in favor of keeping the dunes open for vehicle use. I wonder if the opinions regarding this policy differ in rural and more suburban and urban communities around the area. Obviously allowing the dunes to be open brings people and business to these communities, but at the clear expense of wildlife. Super interesting.
I'm from the Central Coast as well, and this recap was a really helpful update on the status of Oceano Dunes. You mentioned the safety concerns, and I was reminded of a story from 2019 about the number of deaths (6) at the dunes from vehicle accidents. (https://kmph.com/news/local/sixth-person-dies-at-oceano-dunes-is-that-count-out-of-the-ordinary-for-the-dunes). I agree that in addition to the environmental concerns public safety should be a significant consideration when discussing the future of Oceano Dunes.
A separate thought: I also wonder how tourism to Oceano Dunes has affected the local economy and how this compares to the Guadalupe dunes for example.
This was a very interesting post, Amelia. I had previously heard about the Endangered Species present in this area, but was surprised to read about the health impacts on Latinx communities from the sand dust. I hope that the community continues to stress this point in addition to habitat concerns—I feel that this should be one of the major focal points in determining the uses and future of the beach. In all, it is fascinating that this one site, as you stated in your blog, has all of these converging issues related to its use and management. I look forward to seeing how this plays out.
This post really made me think about the sort of opposite scenario that occurred when the government shut down and people drove off-road through Joshua Tree while it was closed. The amount of damage done so swiftly will impact the environment for decades. Furthermore, the event had the opposite effect, as people saw the opportunistic drivers as desecrating a significant national and regional landmark. In the Oceano Dunes case, vehicles being prevented from entering the space during the pandemic had a similar impact on the community. I think it brings up interesting clashing ideas about public land and the public's relation to the land based on historical use.
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