LETTERS NEEDED!!!!!!! Friends Of Oceano Dunes - Update

Crowdog · 03-26-2002, 11:12 PM

3/25/02

FRIENDS OF OCEANO DUNES - UPDATE
---------------------------------------------------------

1) WE NEED TO SEND LETTERS ASAP!!! - ACTION REQUIRED

The Governor, his staff and the Department of Parks and Recreation are working EXTREMELY hard to keep the Oceano Dunes open. There are some serious battles ahead. The California Coastal Commission is threatening to ignore the TRT process and expand the Snowy Plover exclosures to pole 6.

If the exclosure moves to pole 6, further restrictions and reductions are anticipated. We are slowly losing our beach one fence at a time.

We have made our position clear…NO MORE COMPROMISE!

Please take a moment and send the Governor (Gray Davis), Mary Nichols and Dave Widell an email, letter or fax to remind them to STAND TOUGH;
· Tell them why Oceano is special to you
· Encourage them to STAND TOUGH against the unbalanced environmentalists
· Let them know that YOU support them in their efforts
· Remind them that YOU do not want compromises
· No more fences
· No more decisions from the CCC based on emotion

Governor Gray Davis: graydavis@governor.cagov
Mary Nichols: mary@resources.ca.gov
Dave Widell: DWIDE@parks.ca.gov

THIS IS SERIOUS, DO IT NOW & ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO IT!!!

2) MEETING IN BAKERSFIELD April 6TH - PLEASE ATTEND!

Hanford was a huge success, now we are going bigger in Bakersfield Saturday April 6th. This will be an absolutely incredible event. We will have an opportunity drawing for a NEW HONDA 300EX and other great prizes. We anticipate over 5000 people….come join us, get informed, eat great food and win great prizes.

We are welcoming other OHV groups to come and provide information about their organization and to also assist in the question and answer session.

<CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS> http://www.oceanodunes.org/bakersfield.asp

Where: Kern River Golf Course Picnic Area Directions:
From Highway 99 North or South, take Highway 178 East; follow through town to Alfred Harrell Highway; turn left to Lake Ming, turn right. Drive to right of lake around golf course.
Time: 11:00AM - ~4:00PM depending on Questions/Answers

We are hoping other communities will get fired up and help arrange meetings. We need to inform the public of the potential closure. We have a long fight ahead of us! Feel free to email us at butch@oceanodunes.org if you want to set up a meeting.

3) TRT UPDATE - ACTION REQUIRED

The TRT process is being challenged. Currently the TRT has a scientific Subcommittee, which reviews the science and makes recommendations to the TRT.

Unfortunately the Coastal Commission is unhappy that the Scientific Subcommittee did not decide to close more land by expanding the exclosures to pole 6. Exclosure expansion to pole 6 would take away another ½ mile of beach camping and a reduction in allowable campsites would occur.

If expansion occurs this year, there is sure to be more next year.

We are dying a slow death!
We have drawn a line in the sand and said NO MORE!

We need everyone to write to the Coastal Commission and demand that they enforce the Coastal Act and protect our right to recreate on the beach. Remind them that OHV activity is a Legislated activity and the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area is an approved State Park for OHV, camping, equestrians and other forms of family recreation.

California Coastal Commission
725 Front Street Suite 300
Santa Cruz, CA 95060-4508
(831) 427-4863
SLOReview@coastal.ca.gov
rbrooke@coastal.ca.gov

4) LAWSUIT UPDATE!

We have completed our paperwork and filed to become an intervener in the courts against this lawsuit. We will keep you posted.

5) CCC MEETING UPDATE! - PLEASE ATTEND!

The CRITICAL California Coastal Commission (CCC) meeting that will decide whether the State is issued a permit to operate the park will be held in Santa Rosa California during May 7 -10. We will provide the exact day of the meeting when the agenda is released.

Hilton Sonoma County
3555 Round Barn Blvd.
Santa Rosa, CA
(707) 523-7555

We want 1000's of people to show up in support of State Parks and to show support to the Friends of Oceano Dunes members who will present our case.

We will be providing more information in the future, but we want you to start planning and reserving this time. PLEASE ATTEND!

6) CLOSING COMMENTS!

Friends, there is a VERY strong possibility that State Parks will not be granted their operating permit from the Coastal Commission in May.

The reason is not from lack of performance by State Parks, but instead State Parks (with our support) will be making a stand against the CCC. If the permit is refused, beach closure is likely.

This would then force the issue to the court systems, where we are confident that the data, the science and the outstanding performance by State Parks will allow the CCC to be over turned.

THIS IS WHY WE NEED YOUR LETTERS NOW!!!! Please refer to the ACTION REQUIRED sections above.

If we back down now, we will continue to lose more and more.

Friends of Oceano Dunes said from the early beginning that we will not compromise…enough is enough! I am asking for you to continue to support us and get active in this fight. We need to continue to raise funds to pay the attorneys, lobbyists and future biologists…PLEASE HELP!!!

Get Involved, or Lose It All!

SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE DONATED THEIR TIME AND MONEY!

Please feel free to donate on-line at: http://www.oceanodunes.org/donate.asp

NO SALARIES ARE PAID, WE ARE A 100% VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION

Sincerely,

Friends of Oceano Dunes!
P. O. Box 398
Oceano, CA 93445
805-788-4926
www.oceanodunes.org

Friends of Oceano Dunes is a 501(c)(3) California Not-for-Profit Public Benefit Corporation. We represent businesses, environmentalists, equestrians, campers, fishermen, families and off-road enthusiasts who enjoy the benefits of Public Access through Responsible Recreation at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA). We want to maintain Access For All!

mtndewmaniac · 03-27-2002, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Crowdog
3/25/02
Governor Gray Davis: graydavis@governor.cagov
Mary Nichols: mary@resources.ca.gov
Dave Widell: DWIDE@parks.ca.gov

I have copied their Email addys, I'll be doing what I can from here.

You've got my vote.

Crowdog · 03-28-2002, 07:41 AM

If you guys write to Dave Widell, please note that he is not against OHV's at Oceano Dunes. He even wrote a rebuttal to an article in the Santa Maria Times where they bashed the State Parks for not protecting the Snowy Plover. You can read his editorial & original article here:
http://www.crowley-offroad.com/envir...l%20issues.htm
His editorial is the 3rd article down from the top.

There is also another editorial called "Putting Lives at Risk" (2nd from the top) that is a good read about Oceano Dunes.

Crowdog

Crowdog · 04-05-2002, 08:30 PM

http://www.bakersfield.com/top/story...p-972050c.html

Access fight far from over
By KERRY CAVANAUGH, Californian staff writer

Thursday April 04, 2002

OCEANO -- This 5.5-mile stretch of California coast is the latest stage for an ongoing battle pitting environmentalists fighting to protect endangered species and off-road vehicle users trying to preserve access.

Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area -- commonly called Pismo -- is the only piece of shoreline in California where people can drive and camp on the beach. It's a favorite spot for off-road vehicle riders, many of them San Joaquin Valley residents.

The beach is also home to three threatened and endangered birds and fish. One of those birds is the western snowy plover, whose population on the Pacific coastline is down to 2,000 birds.

At the end of last year's breeding season, scientists discovered just two plovers on the Oceano dunes had survived, out of approximately 70 hatched chicks.

Within weeks, the Sierra Club sued the state in federal court for violating the Endangered Species Act by not protecting the plover and the other species here.

Separately, the California Coastal Commission is considering requiring the state to further restrict vehicles, also to protect the bird's nesting area. A vote is expected next month.

Either a federal judge or the commission could order the beach and dunes closed to vehicles.

That has off-road vehicle users and local businesses worried. The park easily hits its capacity of 1,000 campers on busy weekends. And visitors pump millions of dollars into the local economy, park officials said.

Supporters formed the Friends of the Oceano Dunes to lobby for keeping the beach open to vehicles.

The group will hold a meeting in Bakersfield Saturday to review the lawsuit and rally opposition. A similar meeting in Hanford in February drew as many as 1,000 people, organizers said.

It may seem odd to have huge rallies in the valley for a seaside park 150 miles from Bakersfield. But more than half of the park's 1.25 million annual visitors are from the valley.

"A lot of people from here have been going for generations," said Bakersfield resident Dick Taylor, organizer of Saturday's meeting.

Longtime park visitors have watched all-terrain vehicle access areas shrink to less than half of the park's original size.

"All we're looking for is balance," Taylor said. The park is just a small piece of California's 1,100 miles of shoreline, he said. "This is all we have left to drive on."

Taylor fears Oceano Dunes could end up like the coastline near Vandenberg Air Force Base, which was largely closed to horses and people to protect the plover during its nesting season from March through September.

Protecting wildlife

Tarren Collins, president of the Sierra Club's Santa Lucia chapter, points to Vandenberg as a success story. The rate of hatching chicks has increased there since the base began restricting access to protect the birds.

She said the state is violating the Endangered Species Act by not taking similar measures here.

"They need to get cars out of the area during nesting season," Collins said. "Extreme measures are needed because the species is on the brink of extinction."

Stuck in the middle of the debate is the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

Dunes ecologist Laura Gardner said the park is trying to balance the needs of humans and wildlife.

Every January, the state and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sit down to plan how to protect the plovers during their nesting season.

Park employees canvass the beach every day to check nests of the plover and the California least tern, another endangered bird on the beach. The tern's future is less precarious than the plover's, Gardner said.

The park has fenced in roughly 164 acres of dunes to protect the plover's primary nesting areas. Those fences are amidst 1,500 acres of sand dunes open to vehicles.

Gardner said although fencing can keep out people and some predators, such as coyotes, the young plovers are grouped together in the enclosed nesting areas making them susceptible to predatory birds.

Recent studies show larger birds are responsible for the deaths of the majority of the the young plovers.

Off-road vehicle proponents complain their sport is being unfairly blamed for reducing the plover population.

But the Sierra Club's Collins said the birds are more vulnerable because they are corralled inside the fences put up to keep them from being run over by off-roaders.

To try to remedy the newest problem, this year the park began concentrating on removing predator birds.

Chief Ranger Andy Zilke said the park has followed the guidance of federal biologists.

He said Oceano Dunes is taking the correct steps to protect the plover, although some groups believe the state isn't doing enough. He also said he thinks off-roading is an appropriate use of the coast in the area.

"I want to protect this access because it's important that people have this," he said, surveying the dunes.

The future of the dunes

The Sierra Club lawsuit against the state is now moving through the U.S. District Court. Off-road groups have asked to intervene in the suit as interested parties, although there hasn't been a judgment on their participation.

The lawsuit has prompted rumors that the beach and dunes are already closed, but it hasn't really slowed visitors.

On Wednesday, the beach was busy with horse riders and all-terrain vehicles scrambling over the dunes. The scattered trucks and campers were just a hint of the crowds that cover the beach during the summer.

Oceano is famous among riders, said Livermore resident Charlie Frerking, 18, who was showing off his skills on an all-terrain vehicle.

"When you think of dunes, you think Pismo," he said, using the park's old name.

Upon arrival to the park he was given a packet of rules and information on the endangered species, he said.

San Luis Obispo resident Robert Elberg and his 12-year-old son, Kirk, cruised over the dunes, taking advantage of the relatively empty beach.

He's seen dunes so crowded with riders that he's turned around and gone home. Elberg heard about the lawsuit and has mixed feelings.

"As long as people are not hurting the environment and are not tearing up stuff, I see nothing wrong with this," Elberg said of the park.

Though only a second-time visitor, Valerie Ballou was thrilled with the park.

"The combination of the dunes in back and the beach in front, it's wonderful," she said. "I would hate to see it closed for everyone."

The Friends of the Oceano Dunes meeting will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Kern River Golf Course picnic area near Lake Ming.

Crowdog · 04-06-2002, 01:05 PM

http://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/s...p-969461c.html

Editorial: Keeping Oceano Beach open
The Bakersfield Californian
Thursday April 04, 2002, 06:00:12 PM

The battle to keep Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area open will be the subject of an information meeting Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kern River Golf Course picnic area near Lake Ming.

Friends of Oceano Dunes are marshalling local support to fight a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club that could close the last five-mile stretch of California coast reserved for motorized beach access.

In its lawsuit filed against the California State Parks system, the Sierra Club is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop operating ODSVRA, which used to be known as Pismo.

A coalition that includes local residents, visitors, business owners, sportsmen, equestrians and off-road vehicle enthusiasts has formed to fight for the beach access. In earlier legal action, public beaches at Lompoc and Vanderberg were closed to this type of recreation.

Certainly efforts to protect California's coast from exploitation whether it be uncontrolled development or environment-harming activities are valid.

But there is a fine line between protecting California's coast for all Californians and being so exclusive that the coast becomes "off-limits" to most Californians.

Similar struggles are occurring in California's forests, where some would allow only the heartiest to enjoy the wilderness because of "off-limits" restrictions.

Whether it's protecting the coast or the forests, the key is balance. Restrictions must be reasonable and must accommodate a wide variety of interests and uses.

Is allowing motorized beach access on just five miles of the coastline so harmful that it should be banned? Likely the outcome of the Sierra Club's lawsuit will answer that question.

We hope the courts will find the much- needed balance to maintain the line between protectionism and elitism.

Kern County residents are among the 1.2 million annual visitors to this stretch of beach. They are urged to attend Saturday's meeting.

Crowdog · 04-07-2002, 08:04 AM

http://www.bakersfield.com/top/story...p-980942c.html
Strong show for Pismo
By KERRY CAVANAUGH, Californian staff writer
e-mail: kcavanaugh@bakersfield.com
Saturday April 06, 2002, 10:46:00 PM

Several hundred off-road enthusiasts gathered near Lake Ming Saturday afternoon to show support for the Oceano Dunes -- the only state beach allowing vehicles to drive on the sand.

The future of the popular park is uncertain because of charges that visitors and vehicles are accelerating the decline of a threatened bird, the western snowy plover.

Event organizers said they will challenge any plans to close the dunes.

"We're in this fight for the long haul," Friends of the Oceano Dunes leader Jim Suty told the crowd.

The dunes debate is playing out in the courtroom and political arena. Meeting organizers sought to raise money for the Friends legal fund and galvanize support to keep the dunes open to vehicles.

More than half of the dunes visitors are San Joaquin Valley residents.

There was plenty of support Saturday among the attendees -- many of whom wore T-shirts of favorite off-road parks around the state.

Bakersfield residents Chuck MacKinnon said outside of work, off-road riding is his life.

He's been going to the Oceano Dunes, commonly called Pismo, with his family since childhood.

"I've watched them close more and more" of the park, he said. "I'd hoped my kids would be able to do what I did as a kid."

He worries that may not be possible because of groups seeking to close the park to vehicles.

The Sierra Club sued the state in November for failing to protect the plover and two other endangered species at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area.

The club's suit came after reports that just two plovers out of nearly 70 hatched chicks survived in 2001. Club members argue vehicles should be kept out of the park during the plover's breeding season from March through September until the bird population recovers.

A hearing date on the federal court case has not been set.

Friends of the Oceano Dunes is trying to intervene in that case, Suty said.

The California Coastal Commission is also scrutinizing the park. The park's permit comes up for renewal in May, and commission staff is expected to recommend more restrictions on vehicles during the bird's breeding season.

Meeting attendees said they were frustrated at the increased attempts to close off-road vehicle areas across the state. Oceano Dunes, which stretches 5.5 miles, is just another example, they said.

"It's public land," said Bakersfield resident Bob Prewett. "Nobody wants to destroy it."

03-26-2002, 11:12 PM	#1
Crowdog Rock God Join Date: Jan 2001 Member # 2787 Location: Shingle Springs, CA Posts: 2,220	Friends Of Oceano Dunes - Update 3/25/02 FRIENDS OF OCEANO DUNES - UPDATE --------------------------------------------------------- 1) WE NEED TO SEND LETTERS ASAP!!! - ACTION REQUIRED The Governor, his staff and the Department of Parks and Recreation are working EXTREMELY hard to keep the Oceano Dunes open. There are some serious battles ahead. The California Coastal Commission is threatening to ignore the TRT process and expand the Snowy Plover exclosures to pole 6. If the exclosure moves to pole 6, further restrictions and reductions are anticipated. We are slowly losing our beach one fence at a time. We have made our position clear…NO MORE COMPROMISE! Please take a moment and send the Governor (Gray Davis), Mary Nichols and Dave Widell an email, letter or fax to remind them to STAND TOUGH; · Tell them why Oceano is special to you · Encourage them to STAND TOUGH against the unbalanced environmentalists · Let them know that YOU support them in their efforts · Remind them that YOU do not want compromises · No more fences · No more decisions from the CCC based on emotion Governor Gray Davis: graydavis@governor.cagov Mary Nichols: mary@resources.ca.gov Dave Widell: DWIDE@parks.ca.gov THIS IS SERIOUS, DO IT NOW & ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO IT!!! 2) MEETING IN BAKERSFIELD April 6TH - PLEASE ATTEND! Hanford was a huge success, now we are going bigger in Bakersfield Saturday April 6th. This will be an absolutely incredible event. We will have an opportunity drawing for a NEW HONDA 300EX and other great prizes. We anticipate over 5000 people….come join us, get informed, eat great food and win great prizes. We are welcoming other OHV groups to come and provide information about their organization and to also assist in the question and answer session. <CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS> http://www.oceanodunes.org/bakersfield.asp Where: Kern River Golf Course Picnic Area Directions: From Highway 99 North or South, take Highway 178 East; follow through town to Alfred Harrell Highway; turn left to Lake Ming, turn right. Drive to right of lake around golf course. Time: 11:00AM - ~4:00PM depending on Questions/Answers We are hoping other communities will get fired up and help arrange meetings. We need to inform the public of the potential closure. We have a long fight ahead of us! Feel free to email us at butch@oceanodunes.org if you want to set up a meeting. 3) TRT UPDATE - ACTION REQUIRED The TRT process is being challenged. Currently the TRT has a scientific Subcommittee, which reviews the science and makes recommendations to the TRT. Unfortunately the Coastal Commission is unhappy that the Scientific Subcommittee did not decide to close more land by expanding the exclosures to pole 6. Exclosure expansion to pole 6 would take away another ½ mile of beach camping and a reduction in allowable campsites would occur. If expansion occurs this year, there is sure to be more next year. We are dying a slow death! We have drawn a line in the sand and said NO MORE! We need everyone to write to the Coastal Commission and demand that they enforce the Coastal Act and protect our right to recreate on the beach. Remind them that OHV activity is a Legislated activity and the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area is an approved State Park for OHV, camping, equestrians and other forms of family recreation. California Coastal Commission 725 Front Street Suite 300 Santa Cruz, CA 95060-4508 (831) 427-4863 SLOReview@coastal.ca.gov rbrooke@coastal.ca.gov 4) LAWSUIT UPDATE! We have completed our paperwork and filed to become an intervener in the courts against this lawsuit. We will keep you posted. 5) CCC MEETING UPDATE! - PLEASE ATTEND! The CRITICAL California Coastal Commission (CCC) meeting that will decide whether the State is issued a permit to operate the park will be held in Santa Rosa California during May 7 -10. We will provide the exact day of the meeting when the agenda is released. Hilton Sonoma County 3555 Round Barn Blvd. Santa Rosa, CA (707) 523-7555 We want 1000's of people to show up in support of State Parks and to show support to the Friends of Oceano Dunes members who will present our case. We will be providing more information in the future, but we want you to start planning and reserving this time. PLEASE ATTEND! 6) CLOSING COMMENTS! Friends, there is a VERY strong possibility that State Parks will not be granted their operating permit from the Coastal Commission in May. The reason is not from lack of performance by State Parks, but instead State Parks (with our support) will be making a stand against the CCC. If the permit is refused, beach closure is likely. This would then force the issue to the court systems, where we are confident that the data, the science and the outstanding performance by State Parks will allow the CCC to be over turned. THIS IS WHY WE NEED YOUR LETTERS NOW!!!! Please refer to the ACTION REQUIRED sections above. If we back down now, we will continue to lose more and more. Friends of Oceano Dunes said from the early beginning that we will not compromise…enough is enough! I am asking for you to continue to support us and get active in this fight. We need to continue to raise funds to pay the attorneys, lobbyists and future biologists…PLEASE HELP!!! Get Involved, or Lose It All! SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE DONATED THEIR TIME AND MONEY! Please feel free to donate on-line at: http://www.oceanodunes.org/donate.asp NO SALARIES ARE PAID, WE ARE A 100% VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION Sincerely, Friends of Oceano Dunes! P. O. Box 398 Oceano, CA 93445 805-788-4926 www.oceanodunes.org Friends of Oceano Dunes is a 501(c)(3) California Not-for-Profit Public Benefit Corporation. We represent businesses, environmentalists, equestrians, campers, fishermen, families and off-road enthusiasts who enjoy the benefits of Public Access through Responsible Recreation at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA). We want to maintain Access For All!

03-28-2002, 07:41 AM	#3
Crowdog Rock God Join Date: Jan 2001 Member # 2787 Location: Shingle Springs, CA Posts: 2,220	If you guys write to Dave Widell, please note that he is not against OHV's at Oceano Dunes. He even wrote a rebuttal to an article in the Santa Maria Times where they bashed the State Parks for not protecting the Snowy Plover. You can read his editorial & original article here: http://www.crowley-offroad.com/envir...l%20issues.htm His editorial is the 3rd article down from the top. There is also another editorial called "Putting Lives at Risk" (2nd from the top) that is a good read about Oceano Dunes. Crowdog __________________ www.UTVGuide.net www.UTVWeekly.com Last edited by Crowdog; 03-28-2002 at 08:06 AM.

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04-05-2002, 08:30 PM	#4
Crowdog Rock God Join Date: Jan 2001 Member # 2787 Location: Shingle Springs, CA Posts: 2,220	http://www.bakersfield.com/top/story...p-972050c.html Access fight far from over By KERRY CAVANAUGH, Californian staff writer Thursday April 04, 2002 OCEANO -- This 5.5-mile stretch of California coast is the latest stage for an ongoing battle pitting environmentalists fighting to protect endangered species and off-road vehicle users trying to preserve access. Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area -- commonly called Pismo -- is the only piece of shoreline in California where people can drive and camp on the beach. It's a favorite spot for off-road vehicle riders, many of them San Joaquin Valley residents. The beach is also home to three threatened and endangered birds and fish. One of those birds is the western snowy plover, whose population on the Pacific coastline is down to 2,000 birds. At the end of last year's breeding season, scientists discovered just two plovers on the Oceano dunes had survived, out of approximately 70 hatched chicks. Within weeks, the Sierra Club sued the state in federal court for violating the Endangered Species Act by not protecting the plover and the other species here. Separately, the California Coastal Commission is considering requiring the state to further restrict vehicles, also to protect the bird's nesting area. A vote is expected next month. Either a federal judge or the commission could order the beach and dunes closed to vehicles. That has off-road vehicle users and local businesses worried. The park easily hits its capacity of 1,000 campers on busy weekends. And visitors pump millions of dollars into the local economy, park officials said. Supporters formed the Friends of the Oceano Dunes to lobby for keeping the beach open to vehicles. The group will hold a meeting in Bakersfield Saturday to review the lawsuit and rally opposition. A similar meeting in Hanford in February drew as many as 1,000 people, organizers said. It may seem odd to have huge rallies in the valley for a seaside park 150 miles from Bakersfield. But more than half of the park's 1.25 million annual visitors are from the valley. "A lot of people from here have been going for generations," said Bakersfield resident Dick Taylor, organizer of Saturday's meeting. Longtime park visitors have watched all-terrain vehicle access areas shrink to less than half of the park's original size. "All we're looking for is balance," Taylor said. The park is just a small piece of California's 1,100 miles of shoreline, he said. "This is all we have left to drive on." Taylor fears Oceano Dunes could end up like the coastline near Vandenberg Air Force Base, which was largely closed to horses and people to protect the plover during its nesting season from March through September. Protecting wildlife Tarren Collins, president of the Sierra Club's Santa Lucia chapter, points to Vandenberg as a success story. The rate of hatching chicks has increased there since the base began restricting access to protect the birds. She said the state is violating the Endangered Species Act by not taking similar measures here. "They need to get cars out of the area during nesting season," Collins said. "Extreme measures are needed because the species is on the brink of extinction." Stuck in the middle of the debate is the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Dunes ecologist Laura Gardner said the park is trying to balance the needs of humans and wildlife. Every January, the state and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sit down to plan how to protect the plovers during their nesting season. Park employees canvass the beach every day to check nests of the plover and the California least tern, another endangered bird on the beach. The tern's future is less precarious than the plover's, Gardner said. The park has fenced in roughly 164 acres of dunes to protect the plover's primary nesting areas. Those fences are amidst 1,500 acres of sand dunes open to vehicles. Gardner said although fencing can keep out people and some predators, such as coyotes, the young plovers are grouped together in the enclosed nesting areas making them susceptible to predatory birds. Recent studies show larger birds are responsible for the deaths of the majority of the the young plovers. Off-road vehicle proponents complain their sport is being unfairly blamed for reducing the plover population. But the Sierra Club's Collins said the birds are more vulnerable because they are corralled inside the fences put up to keep them from being run over by off-roaders. To try to remedy the newest problem, this year the park began concentrating on removing predator birds. Chief Ranger Andy Zilke said the park has followed the guidance of federal biologists. He said Oceano Dunes is taking the correct steps to protect the plover, although some groups believe the state isn't doing enough. He also said he thinks off-roading is an appropriate use of the coast in the area. "I want to protect this access because it's important that people have this," he said, surveying the dunes. The future of the dunes The Sierra Club lawsuit against the state is now moving through the U.S. District Court. Off-road groups have asked to intervene in the suit as interested parties, although there hasn't been a judgment on their participation. The lawsuit has prompted rumors that the beach and dunes are already closed, but it hasn't really slowed visitors. On Wednesday, the beach was busy with horse riders and all-terrain vehicles scrambling over the dunes. The scattered trucks and campers were just a hint of the crowds that cover the beach during the summer. Oceano is famous among riders, said Livermore resident Charlie Frerking, 18, who was showing off his skills on an all-terrain vehicle. "When you think of dunes, you think Pismo," he said, using the park's old name. Upon arrival to the park he was given a packet of rules and information on the endangered species, he said. San Luis Obispo resident Robert Elberg and his 12-year-old son, Kirk, cruised over the dunes, taking advantage of the relatively empty beach. He's seen dunes so crowded with riders that he's turned around and gone home. Elberg heard about the lawsuit and has mixed feelings. "As long as people are not hurting the environment and are not tearing up stuff, I see nothing wrong with this," Elberg said of the park. Though only a second-time visitor, Valerie Ballou was thrilled with the park. "The combination of the dunes in back and the beach in front, it's wonderful," she said. "I would hate to see it closed for everyone." The Friends of the Oceano Dunes meeting will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Kern River Golf Course picnic area near Lake Ming.

04-06-2002, 01:05 PM	#5
Crowdog Rock God Join Date: Jan 2001 Member # 2787 Location: Shingle Springs, CA Posts: 2,220	http://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/s...p-969461c.html Editorial: Keeping Oceano Beach open The Bakersfield Californian Thursday April 04, 2002, 06:00:12 PM The battle to keep Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area open will be the subject of an information meeting Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kern River Golf Course picnic area near Lake Ming. Friends of Oceano Dunes are marshalling local support to fight a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club that could close the last five-mile stretch of California coast reserved for motorized beach access. In its lawsuit filed against the California State Parks system, the Sierra Club is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop operating ODSVRA, which used to be known as Pismo. A coalition that includes local residents, visitors, business owners, sportsmen, equestrians and off-road vehicle enthusiasts has formed to fight for the beach access. In earlier legal action, public beaches at Lompoc and Vanderberg were closed to this type of recreation. Certainly efforts to protect California's coast from exploitation whether it be uncontrolled development or environment-harming activities are valid. But there is a fine line between protecting California's coast for all Californians and being so exclusive that the coast becomes "off-limits" to most Californians. Similar struggles are occurring in California's forests, where some would allow only the heartiest to enjoy the wilderness because of "off-limits" restrictions. Whether it's protecting the coast or the forests, the key is balance. Restrictions must be reasonable and must accommodate a wide variety of interests and uses. Is allowing motorized beach access on just five miles of the coastline so harmful that it should be banned? Likely the outcome of the Sierra Club's lawsuit will answer that question. We hope the courts will find the much- needed balance to maintain the line between protectionism and elitism. Kern County residents are among the 1.2 million annual visitors to this stretch of beach. They are urged to attend Saturday's meeting.

04-07-2002, 08:04 AM	#6
Crowdog Rock God Join Date: Jan 2001 Member # 2787 Location: Shingle Springs, CA Posts: 2,220	http://www.bakersfield.com/top/story...p-980942c.html Strong show for Pismo By KERRY CAVANAUGH, Californian staff writer e-mail: kcavanaugh@bakersfield.com Saturday April 06, 2002, 10:46:00 PM Several hundred off-road enthusiasts gathered near Lake Ming Saturday afternoon to show support for the Oceano Dunes -- the only state beach allowing vehicles to drive on the sand. The future of the popular park is uncertain because of charges that visitors and vehicles are accelerating the decline of a threatened bird, the western snowy plover. Event organizers said they will challenge any plans to close the dunes. "We're in this fight for the long haul," Friends of the Oceano Dunes leader Jim Suty told the crowd. The dunes debate is playing out in the courtroom and political arena. Meeting organizers sought to raise money for the Friends legal fund and galvanize support to keep the dunes open to vehicles. More than half of the dunes visitors are San Joaquin Valley residents. There was plenty of support Saturday among the attendees -- many of whom wore T-shirts of favorite off-road parks around the state. Bakersfield residents Chuck MacKinnon said outside of work, off-road riding is his life. He's been going to the Oceano Dunes, commonly called Pismo, with his family since childhood. "I've watched them close more and more" of the park, he said. "I'd hoped my kids would be able to do what I did as a kid." He worries that may not be possible because of groups seeking to close the park to vehicles. The Sierra Club sued the state in November for failing to protect the plover and two other endangered species at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. The club's suit came after reports that just two plovers out of nearly 70 hatched chicks survived in 2001. Club members argue vehicles should be kept out of the park during the plover's breeding season from March through September until the bird population recovers. A hearing date on the federal court case has not been set. Friends of the Oceano Dunes is trying to intervene in that case, Suty said. The California Coastal Commission is also scrutinizing the park. The park's permit comes up for renewal in May, and commission staff is expected to recommend more restrictions on vehicles during the bird's breeding season. Meeting attendees said they were frustrated at the increased attempts to close off-road vehicle areas across the state. Oceano Dunes, which stretches 5.5 miles, is just another example, they said. "It's public land," said Bakersfield resident Bob Prewett. "Nobody wants to destroy it."