Coastal Commission investigates bulldozers on the beach at Oceano Dunes
The California Coastal Commission said it was investigating the use of heavy equipment to bulldoze and groom a wide swath of beach near the shoreline at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, but the State Parks Department said the work was part of routine maintenance.
Nearby residents concerned about the noise and dust from the work Tuesday morning circulated a video of two tractors moving mounds of sand across about a quarter mile of beach from the fence line to the shoreline.
Resident Bonita Ernst is critical of the work and posted a video on Youtube with the title, “CA State Parks Bulldozers DESTROY Oceano Beach.”
Oceano Dunes District acting superintendent Kevin Pearce said the work was part of “normal maintenance operations and dust control measures ... to remove sand accumulation at the park unit entrances.”
Pearce said the equipment was also used to move sand that collects near wind fences during the windy season in spring and summer.
“This ongoing, routine maintenance has been part of the district’s normal operations for a number of years and a permit is not required,” he said.
The San Luis Obispo Air Pollution Control District also said beach grooming near the entrance of the State Park and the sand highway is not unusual. And slightly increased dust emissions are expected, said senior air quality scientist Karl Tupper.
When the Coastal Commission was asked about the work and whether a permit was needed, a spokesperson told The Tribune, “we were not aware of this, but are now investigating.”
The Coastal Commission’s next public meeting is scheduled to happen online on May 14. Learn more here: www.coastal.ca.gov/meetings/agenda/#/2020/5
Vehicle activity has been shut down at the park since late March during statewide shelter orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Beach grooming in California
Beach grooming does happen at other beaches in California, particularly in Southern California, but it is not without environmental impact.
Grooming is often used to remove trash or for aesthetic purposes at beaches popular for recreation. But it can disturb the coastal ecosystem.
The use of heavy equipment for grooming can sweep away kelp that is used as food and shelter by invertebrates, which are food for foraging shorebirds, according to environmental review documents for the Oceano Dunes.
Grooming may also contribute to the long-term conditions that result in increased dust emissions from the dunes.
There’s evidence that the mechanical rakes used in grooming can reduce “the establishment of native beach plants, widening the portion of beach exposed to wind transport of sand and potentially exacerbating sand loss,” according to a Draft Environment Impact Report for the Oceano Dunes.
Environmental review of Oceano Dunes SVRA underway
There is an opportunity to share your thoughts with the state agency on this and other environmental issues at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area.
The vehicle park operates under a General Plan written before the California Coastal Act became law in 1976. Now, State Parks is writing a new planning document for the park to meet regulatory compliance.
That process includes environment review documents, such as a conservation plan and environmental impact report. Public comments for the Draft EIR and a Habitat Conservation Plan are due May 13.
- Read the document here: ceqanet.opr.ca.gov/2018011012/2/Attachment/pbaKLB
- Submit written comments to OceanoDunesHCP@parks.ca.gov
- Sign up to attend a virtual meeting at 5 p.m. May 13 here: zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIrcO2qpz0tHNYCG6NnycJPzUKRz8Qn8R-f
The story has been updated with comments from Oceano Dunes District acting superintendent Kevin Pearce.
This story was originally published May 5, 2020 at 7:16 PM.
