Oceano Dunes

Oceano Dunes

State Vehicular Recreation Areas

Oceano Dunes General Information
Welcome to Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. Formerly Pismo Dunes SVRA, this sand dune complex is geologically unique and also provides an impressive playground for off-highway enthusiasts from throughout the United States. One of several OHV areas administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Oceano Dunes also offers visitors other recreational activities such as swimming, surfing, surf fishing, camping, and hiking. The staff at Oceano Dunes wishes you an enjoyable and safe stay.

Sand Dunes
The Oceano sand dune area is recognized by scientists, conservationists, government agencies, and the public as the finest, most extensive coastal dunes remaining in California. Most of the material that forms these dunes has been carried down to the ocean by various rivers and creeks, deposited here by ocean currents, and then shaped by the wind into the dunes that we see today.

The prevailing winds that blow in from the ocean push sand particles up into wave-like crests that run north-south. On the west or windward side the slope is gentle. On the east or leeward side the slope is quite steep. Sand grains, as they are blown over the dune crest tend to accumulate high on the leeward slope; then, periodically thin tongues of sand slide down. For this reason the leeward slope is called a "slipface."

Past Inhabitants
Indian and Indian settlements were noticed by the early Spanish maritime explorers who sailed up the California coast, but the first European explorers to actually travel through the dunes area were members of Don Gaspar de Portola's overland expedition of 1769. In September of that year, just after crossing the Santa Maria River, Portola's men killed "un oso flaco" — a skinny bear. The lake at the southern end of the park takes its name from this incident.

During the 1930s and 40s, the dunes were the home of a group of free thinking people including mystics, nudists, artists, writers, and hermits who identified themselves collectively as the "Dunites." Among other activities, the group published a magazine, which they called The Dune Forum. The Dunites believed that Oceano Dunes was one of the centers of creative energy in California. Seek out the solitude of the dunes and perhaps you too, will feel these creative forces that the Dunites talked about.

VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE
The Oceano Dunes area is home to a surprisingly wide range of plant and animal life. Those who take the time to explore will see wildflowers, the tracks of countless small mammals and insects, a variety of small birds at the water's edge, and hawks, owls, pelicans, or gulls flying overhead.

Many kinds of shorebirds can be found on the beach, while other small birds such as the Audubon warbler, or the long-billed marsh wren, as well as red-tailed hawks and American kestrels are often sighted among the sand dunes. Both the threatened snowy plover and the endangered California least tern nest within the SVRA.

During the March 1 — September 30 breeding season, small fenced enclosures are constructed around the nests to protect these birds and their offspring from the surrounding recreational use. With ongoing support from OHVers, this nesting program has been a huge success.

Most of the wildflowers, shrubs, and grasses that can be found on the dunes are fragile and easily destroyed. Plants that are native to the area include the arroyo willow, California sagebrush, sand verbena, and bush lupine. European beach grass is an introduced species, brought in around the turn of the century to stabilize the dunes. Rare plants that may be seen here include surf thistle and giant coreopsis.

PISMO CLAMS
Pismo clam populations fluctuate dramatically due to a variety of natural influences. A fragile and valuable resource, Pismo clams may be taken under the following regulations:
Clammers must have a fishing license and an accurate (rigid) measuring device in possession.
Only Pismo clams at least 4 1/2" in length may be possessed.
Undersized Pismo clams must be immediately reburied in the area where dug.
Bag limit is 10 Pismo clams.
Hours of clamming are 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset.
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CAMPING AND FACILITIES
Camping is allowed south of Post 2 on the beach and in the open dune area. Vault toilets and chemical toilets are provided, but water-delivery and holding-tank pump-out services are available on the beach. Campsite reservation information can be obtained by calling 1-800-444-7275. Campsites are available by reservation year-round and can be made from 10 days to six months in advance. Reservations are highly recommended, especially for holiday periods.

High tides, heavy rains, and blowing sand determine whether or not you can drive down the beach without getting stuck. Access to the OHV and camping area may be restricted periodically by Arroyo Grande Creek which is subject to water releases at Lopez Dam and increased flow during winter storms.

Beach camping is recommended for 4- wheel drive vehicles only. A dump station, located on Le Sage Drive, 1/10 miles North of Grand Ave. on Hwy 1, is available to campers.

THE OHV AREA
Post 2 is one mile south on the beach from Pier Avenue and marks the beginning of the OHV area. All OHVs must be transported to this point before off-loading. Fenced and signed areas are closed to vehicular use either because the property beyond is private or because the area contains sensitive plant and animal life.

EMERGENCY SITUATIONS
In case of vehicle accidents or injuries, contact a ranger or attempt to radio ranger base on CB radio, channel 9. An emergency solar-powered call-box is located at the entrance to Sand Highway. Do not move an injured person unless he is in immediate danger.

If your vehicle becomes stuck, you might try the following:

• Drop your tire pressure, but don't go below 15 lbs PSI.
• Dig out the sand from around your tires.
• Recruit some friends and — keeping the front wheels straight — push and drive your vehicle either forward or backward. Don't allow your wheels to spin, this will dig you in deeper.
• Beach towing is available if needed.

Dangerous currents, called rip currents, are caused by the combination of wave action and the shape of the shoreline. Should you become caught in a rip current while swimming, don't try to swim against the current. Swim parallel to the shore until you're out of the rip. Then make your way to shore. There is lifeguard service available at Oceano Dunes SVRA June through Labor Day.

REGISTRATION
All OHVs must be registered through the Department of Motor Vehicles and display a current green sticker. Funds generated from OHV registration are used for acquisition, development, and operation of OHV areas.

OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE USE
Driving an OHV can be an exciting, yet dangerous, adventure. You can minimize your chance of injury and maximize your enjoyment through common sense, intelligent vehicle operation and by extending courtesy and respect to other riders.

SAFETY TIPS
It is recommended that all ATV operators take part in a formal safety training course under supervision of a certified ATV instructor. Such training is mandatory for those under 18.
Proper riding equipment is essential to the safe operation of an OHV. Each ATV rider must wear a helmet and should wear proper protective clothing.
Before starting out, familiarize yourself with the terrain. Learn to recognize the telltale signs of a slipface. AVOID SURPRISES.
Inexperienced riders should thoroughly acquaint themselves with all vehicle controls before starting out. Be especially cautious when driving east in the dunes because dune slipfaces normally face to the east.
Drive within the limits of your ability. Don’t go faster or climb higher than you can safely handle. Watch out for other riders. When in doubt, take time to think and look the situation over before you proceed.

WHERE TO GET HELP
On major holiday weekends, the ranger staff is supplemented by volunteer groups such as the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue and the Equestrian Mounted Assistance Patrol. All of these people are prepared to offer help and information to visitors. On most holiday weekends a mobile ranger station is located at the Sand Highway entrance.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Oceano Dunes
State Vehicular Recreation Area
576 Camino Mercado, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
(805) 473-7223 (Recorded)
Reservations: (800) 444-7275
Oceano Dunes

Tuesday, April 17, 2007
By LA Times

For Byron Clayworth, it didn’t get much better than this: sipping a beer, camping on the beach with his buddies and their families, frying up dinner for 15 on a homemade wok, and, most of all, zooming around the dunes on an amazing variety of off-road vehicles.

That some 25,000 other people were enjoying the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area in much the same way ona recent weekend was no big deal. Getting used to the constant background whine of engines is easy, Clayworth said, but getting used to the constant buzz of environmental activists — that’s a different story.

“We’ve been squeezed too much already,” said Clayworth, 51, a mechanic at a Modesto dairy. “How much do they want?”

It’s a question on the minds of thousands of off-road enthusiasts as a crucial decision looms for the Oceano Dunes — one of the state parks’ busiest campsites and the only place in California where driving on the beach is still legal.

Over the years, the off-roaders point out, the sand they have been allowed to whip across on everything from Model T Fords to hopped-up Hummers has, mostly for environmental reasons, been whittled from 15,000 acres to about 1,500. They fear that a decision Tuesday by San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors could impose further restrictions on the site’s 2 million annual visitors.

Since 1983, the county has leased 584 acres to the park free of charge, most of it in prime riding terrain. With the 25-year operating agreement set to expire next year, the board is to decide whether to approve the state’s purchase offer of $4.8 million — a choice as highly favored by the off-roaders as it is opposed by San Luis Obispo’s vocal environmental community.

“A sale to the state would be a huge mistake,” said Nell Langford, a retired psychology professor who owns a vacation rental home that looks out on the parade of cars, trucks and trailers hauling all-terrain vehicles down the beach. “Here’s a county that’s environmentally evolved, that’s into protecting its citizens from air pollution and all the things that ATV use generates. What are they thinking?”

Off-roaders want the sale approved, figuring a permanent transfer to the state would preserve the remaining riding territory. In their view, a return to county control would allow environmental activists to sway local political leaders and ultimately destroy a cherished pastime.

“There’s been motorized recreation on this beach for over 100 years,” said Jim Suty, head of the off-road advocacy group Friends of Oceano Dunes. “My parents used to race Jeeps here in the ’60s, I’m enjoying it with my kids, and I want their kids to be able to enjoy it too.”

After years of conflict, both sides are highly organized. Suty’s group just held its annual crab feed, a fundraiser for its legal fees. And Langford was organizing a pointed “Children’s Day” celebration, with playing tots encircled by a “human shield” protecting them from traffic on the beach.

For state parks ranger Will Pierce, the politics of it all took a back seat as he watched a gray sedan carving a serpentine track through the traffic on the hard-packed mud beside the sea.

“I’ve seen it a million times,” said Pierce, a beach ranger for eight years. “Ordinarily sensitive, nice, conservative people get behind the wheel here and suddenly it’s the Baja 500.”

Pierce had his hands full. One of 140 employees who work in the park at peak hours, he had spent his shift dealing with groups of rowdy college students, an alleged sexual assault, park restrooms stripped of toilet paper, and an empty 28-foot cabin cruiser that had broken loose of its moorings and smashed onto the beach. He waved down speeders exceeding the 15 mph limit on the flats — there is no limit on the dunes — and warned parents who were illegally letting young children drive.

Cruising through the dunes in his truck as dirt bikes and quad runners leaped skyward, he paused at a crest and looked down at the sprawling encampment several hundred feet below. In row after jagged row sat 1,000 RVs and pickups and trailers.

In the 1930s, the dunes were home to a community of mystics who called themselves Dunites. Earlier, it was home to a failed subdivision that advertised itself as “the Atlantic City of the Pacific.” Now, it’s home to big families of weekend warriors, many with generators, gas grills and the latest in motorized fun. “They just love it,” Pierce said. “It’s their Disneyland.”

For environmentalists, though, it’s not quite the happiest place on Earth. Each weekend, legions of trucks and trailers splash across the Arroyo Grande Creek — a habitat for several rare species — at both of the park’s entry points onto the beach. Dust whipped up by off-roaders pollutes the air in nearby communities, activists say, and the protections afforded the Western snowy plover after a Sierra Club lawsuit over the threatened bird are inadequate.

“It’s the local version of the spotted owl,” said Andrew Christie, a spokesman for the Sierra Club’s local chapter. “You can still find lots of `Run Over a Plover’ bumper stickers in Oceano.”

When the birds are nesting, park employees monitor their fenced-off, 300-acre patch of sand with binoculars, gingerly laying down driftwood and hunks of kelp to “artificially enhance the habitat,” said park Supt. Andrew Zilke.

The effort takes three full-time environmental scientists and 10 or 11 seasonal employees. Zilke, an advocate of the sale, said he doubted that the county could go it alone.

But the sale’s opponents insist that the county, even if it negotiates a new lease with the state, exert more control over a precious natural resource.

In a letter to county supervisors, the Sierra Club likens selling the land to “selling Half Dome in Yosemite.” The more responsible course, the letter says, is to offer the state a lease with some tough conditions, such as building a less damaging park entry and permanently closing the 300 acres now fenced off for the plover and the least tern from March through September.

“Your whole focus should be on how your decision will help or harm this land in years to come,” the letter says. That’s not quite on target for many local businesses, who say the focus should be on the money — some $200 million annually, by state estimates — that off-roaders leave behind.

“If the environmentalists have anything to do with it, there’ll be complete devastation,” said John Aitkens, who has run B.J.’s ATV Rentals since 1982. Off-roaders “spend on fuel, on groceries, on hopping down to the outlet mall in Pismo Beach. They close the beach and you’ll see people all around there going broke.”

The only certainty is that arguments over the dunes will continue after Tuesday’s hearing.

Article Reference: SanLuisObispo.com | 04/17/2007 | LA Times article on today's potential sale of Oceano Dunes