End to off-roading at Oceano Dunes: How key officials and groups are responding
The California Coastal Commission’s historic decision Thursday to prohibit off highway vehicle use at the Oceano Dunes within three years promises to have far-reaching impacts across San Luis Obispo County, and the South County in particular.
Soon after the announcement, The Tribune began reaching out to local officials to see how they felt about the monumental decision.
Here’s what we’ve heard so far.
This story will be updated throughout the day as more officials respond to our requests for comment, so keep checking back.
South County Chambers of Commerce CEO says will be ‘significant transition’
One of the biggest potential changes for the area will be the impact on local businesses, many of which say they are reliant on the tourism dollars brought in by OHV visitors to the park.
South County Chambers of Commerce CEO Jocelyn Brennan said the chamber “would have liked to see our region’s seat filled on the Coastal Commission before such a historic decision was made,” but said that now they will move forward on an economic impact assessment and feasibility study to figure out how to “mitigate the economic losses and plan for future opportunities at the park.”
“The South County Chambers’ focus has been assisting businesses through COVID impacts, and now we will assist them through this impact as well,” she said. “Because our local businesses depend on tourism dollars, the challenge will be: How do we continue to draw visitors to the unique dune system at Oceano State Park? This will be a significant transition for our businesses and local economy.”
Banning OHVs will ‘definitely bring changes’ to Grover Beach, mayor says
Grover Beach, which is one of two gateways into the off-roading park, will surely be impacted by the decision, Grover Beach Mayor Jeff Lee said.
“This change in the OHV park will definitely bring changes to Grover Beach,” he told The Tribune on Thursday night. “Since it appears that the Grand Avenue entrance will become permanent, we will need to work with our existing businesses to re-image themselves in the short term and to work with State Parks on how best to augment the features and amenities of the ‘new’ park.”
Lee said he appreciated the hard work of both the Coastal Commission and State Parks.
In comments delivered to the commission on Thursday ahead of the decision, Lee said Grover Beach “was looking for certainty from the commission,” and for it to decisively move forward with a vision for the park.
“Today’s action, whether you agree with it or not, allows Grover Beach and the surrounding areas to make future decisions from a place of certainty,” he told The Tribune after the decision.
Meanwhile, just slightly further up Grand Avenue from the Oceano Dunes entrance, Arroyo Grande is readying for its own impacts.
Arroyo Grande Mayor Caren Ray Russom said her thoughts “are squarely on what the future holds as everyone pivots.”
“There are undoubtedly new challenges and opportunities both,” she said.
Ray Russom said she hopes the state will offer funding assistance to municipalities and businesses impacted by the change, similar to funding to communities preparing for the closure of Diablo Canyon.
“In any case, our council, the City of Arroyo Grande and I will work hand in hand with the community as we navigate this transition,” she said.
Friends of Oceano Dunes eyes litigation
The decision is unlikely to pass without some legal challenges.
Friends of Oceano Dunes, a local coalition of OHV riders and supporters, has previously indicated its plans to sue if OHV use were banned at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area.
When reached for comment on Friday afternoon, Anthony Andre of Friends of the Oceano Dunes said its board is “reviewing all legal remedies.” He declined to comment further.
In a Facebook post soon after the decision, Friends of the Oceano Dunes wrote it was “time for State Parks to defend their authority!”
“It’s a sad day for the users of the ODSVRA,” the group wrote. “We are waiting on the final written decision from the CCC, but we are prepared for the legal battle ahead ... are you willing to stand with us?”
The post had 552 likes and had been shared more than 580 times as of 10 a.m. Friday.
Audubon Society of California applauds announcement
The Audubon Society of California said it was “stunned and delighted at the Commission’s decision” given the Oceano Dunes’ importance as a breeding site for the Western snowy plover.
“The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex is the most extensive remaining dunes systems on the West Coast,” Andrea Jones, director of bird conservation for Audubon California said in a news release. “It’s home to migratory shorebirds and many endangered species, including one of the largest breeding sites for Western snowy plovers on the Pacific Coast, yet for four decades, the Coastal Commission has ‘kicked the can down the road’ and failed to develop a cohesive OHV policy. That’s allowed State Parks and Recreation to cater most of the park to one set of Oceano Dunes visitors at the expense of all others.”
Jones called the current policy to allowed OHV use, “access for only some, to the exclusion of all others.”
“Current policy doesn’t serve the nearby residents who have to contend with traffic, noise and dust generated by summer OHV crowds,” she said. “It doesn’t serve visitors on horseback or on foot who could come to enjoy an incomparable natural setting. And it definitely doesn’t serve the threatened bird species who rely on the area to build their nests and raise their young.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 10:46 AM.
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