It’s all too often we hear news about public lands being closed to off-road use, but this summer is just a bit brighter after a Superior Court Judge in San Luis Obispo, California, ruled last month against environmentalists, making way for the popular stretch of seashore known as Oceano Dunes, near Pismo Beach, to remain open for OHV travel and camping for the foreseeable future. 

For those who have followed the contentious power struggle involving the four-mile stretch of sandy dunes, you’re aware it had been on track for closure to all vehicle usage by 2024, as decided by the California Coastal Commission (CCC) after a unanimous vote by its board back in March of 2022. 

The grounds for the closure order cited disruption of habitat for western snowy plovers, little shorebirds that are protected species under state and federal treaties dating back to the early 70s. They nest on the shoreline and regular visitors to Oceano Dunes will have seen portions of the state run park cordoned off to isolate them during peak nesting season. 

Another explanation for the closure order related to air pollution caused by the roosting throngs, and indeed, most summer afternoons there is a fog-like layer of dust that hangs in the air. The Coastal Commission reasoned the cause was constant churning of the dunes, which not only damaged vegetation but prevented the dunes from establishing a stabilizing crust.  

Additional arguments were tagged on, including land rights of the indigenous Chumash tribe, as well as negative effects on future development. 

So who do we have to thank for defeating this encroachment on an off-road park that has already dwindled from 3600 acres to about 1500? At a grass-roots level, Friends of Oceano Dunes, a non-profit dedicated to keeping the small slice of off-road paradise open for shoreline driving, dune riding and camping, all activities that have been popular on this particular stretch of sand for more than 100 years. 

But standing behind the non-profit was the powerhouse of Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), as well as EcoLogic Partners, which fronts a collective of entities including the Off-Road Business Association (ORBA), American Sand Association (ASA) and American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) District 37. 

Arguments filed in the four lawsuits against the CCC’s proposed closure of Oceano Dunes to off-highway usage included studies showing that the snowy plover’s habitat is not necessarily being negatively affected by off-road enthusiasts. One remarkable case in point uses the park’s long prolonged pandemic closure as an example. With no humans throttling about you’d guess the plover’s population would have surged, yet instead, its hatch rate decreased during that period.

And let’s remember that the little shore birds aren’t limited in any way to this relatively small stretch of sand in Central California anyway. They can be found propagating on beaches all the way from Baja California Sur, Mexico to Washington State. 

As for the air pollution, arguments against the ban included geological studies that explained the dunes around Pismo Beach are constantly moving due to the forces of wind and sea, not necessarily vehicular traffic, and would not form a permanent hard “crust” under any circumstance. 

And while you’d think that off-road riding on the dunes would indeed tear up stabilizing vegetation, the Friend’s lawsuits included aerial photography from the 1930s being compared to today, showing there is actually more vegetation at Oceano Dunes now thanks to the state’s replanting programs.

But the backbone of the legal efforts to keep Oceano open was not debatable. It turned out the CCC’s closure order directly violated San Luis Obispo’s county’s pro-tourism Coastal Act, which not only permits, but encourages off-road activity in the area. Because obviously, Oceano Dunes SVRA is a huge cash cow for the county. 

And ironically, the millions spent on snowy plover protection is paid for by visitor fees to the area.

There was simply no good reason to hyper regulate this tiny 4-mile stretch of beach — the only section of California’s 840 miles of shoreline legally rideable for OHVs — and the hard work of volunteers and powersports industry backing proved that. And while it might be a small park, this is a big win for the off-roading community and a sign to stand strong in our fight to keep our precious few off-road options open.

Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.