ATVs are expected to return soon to the controversial Oceano Dunes

The sands of Oceano Dunes — the only state park where visitors are routinely allowed to drive on the beach — are unusually quiet right now.

It’s very quiet, many locals say, because off-road vehicles and beach camping have been temporarily banned from the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area since April 14, in San Luis Obispo County.

However, many others are happy with the suspension, saying it will be good for the western snowy plover, an endangered seabird species.

The disagreement is part of a long-running battle between environmentalists and recreation advocates on this stretch of coastline a few miles south of Pismo Beach. Environmentalists won the latest round when a federal judge ordered the mounds closed until state park officials obtained a permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service allowing for occasional bird damage.

State park officials, who have canceled all camping reservations at the site until May 22, said they hope to reopen on May 23. But that timetable depends on permit approval by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, along Pier Street in Oceano, business is slow.

At Sun Buggy Fun Rentals, which has been catering to visiting families for more than 20 years, “we’ve had to let go of most of our people,” said owner Randy Jordan. He said he is counting on state park officials “doing everything they can” to reopen the area on May 23.

At Pier Street Deli y Mas, “It’s been really slow,” said manager Chelsea Nava. “Our workers are losing hours.”

In normal times, Nava said, 80% or more of his customers are from out of town, including “a lot of people from Bakersfield and Fresno, [who] go into the hills.”

“We’re not sure what to expect next,” Nava said, noting that his family took over the deal in late 2024. “We were doing pretty well before the shutdown,” he said.

The closure was ordered by US District Court Judge Anne Hwang, who ruled on April 9 that the state needs to do more to protect the Western snowy plover, which is considered threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Under Hwang’s order, the closed area can reopen when the state submits a long-awaited conservation plan and receives an “incidental take” permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service that allows for the death and injury of frozen animals. Jon O’Brien, regional superintendent of the State Parks System in Oceano, said he hopes the state will get the permit and reopen the area as soon as possible after May 22.

Tent reservations for May 23 and beyond are “still active,” O’Brien said. “So if you have a campsite on May 24, you still have a reservation.”

Jim Suty, president of Friends of Oceano Dunes, which is in favor of recreational use, said he hopes park officials can open the area as promised. But even if they do, Suty said, a lot of damage has been done.

“People need to really appreciate that closing this park at this time has done nothing to help the endangered animals, and done everything to harm the people,” said Suty, referring to the tourists and local businesses that depend on them. “It is very important in strengthening the local community.”

“It’s crazy,” said David Hamilton, who lives near Arroyo Grande and said he’s been driving the dunes and watching the sunset with his wife for years. “There’s a lot of coastline and they can’t leave this piece open.”

Recreational status has long been important to Oceano, an unincorporated community of about 7,000, just north of it.

Although there are several small neighboring towns along the nearby coast, Oceano merchants say they don’t get much business from Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande or Pismo Beach, which include upscale hotels and restaurants with high ocean views.

Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area remains the only California State Park where vehicles can be driven on the beach.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The judge’s order covers about 800 acres of off-highway traffic south of Arroyo Grande Creek. Until April 14, O’Brien said, up to 350 people per night ($10 per vehicle) are allowed in the area, along with up to 1,720 off-highway vehicles and 1,800 street legal vehicles per day, at $5 per vehicle.

The most recent court case was initiated in 2020 by the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity. Zeynep Graves, the center’s senior attorney, said in a statement that federal officials “have allowed off-road vehicles to drive through the protected area at Oceano Dunes, injuring and killing snowy plovers, harassing sleeping flocks, and destroying their habitat.”

However, state park statistics show that the breeding population of western plovers has grown from at least 32 breeding adults in 2002 to at least 281 in 2024, exceeding state goals from 2013.

In his decision, Hwang found that California state parks had violated the federal Endangered Species Act by allowing too much work around the birds without obtaining an “accidental take” permit.

State parks officials responded that the closure “will result in thousands of families losing their camping and beach resort areas, while reducing operating revenue that supports conservation.”

During the closure, Pismo State Beach — located just north of the recreation area off the highway and Arroyo Grande Creek — will allow up to 1,000 street-legal vehicles per day (and no off-highway vehicles). Two areas of Pismo State Beach (near the beach but not on it) remain open.

Oceano Dunes is the county’s only beachfront property off the main road. Drivers have been driving on the beaches and dunes there since the early 20th century. The state acquired the land in 1974 and created the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area in 1982.

Over the years, state park officials have gradually reduced the area open to off-highway vehicles as recreation and conservation advocates argue over how much protection the birds need. Generally, this battle has pitted the California Coastal Commission (wanting to limit vehicle access) and California State Parks leaders (who want to continue vehicle access).

Aside from the closure, Oceano Dunes recently faced another challenge. Due to COVID-19 precautions, the facility closed its gates in 2020-21. Around that time, rare shorebirds began nesting in areas normally reserved for road trippers and their beachcombers. In 2021, the California Coastal Commission sought to permanently ban off-road driving on the dunes but was later overturned by court rulings that the agency overstepped its authority.

In all this debate, this place remains popular. In 2022-23, the most recent financial year for which figures are available, the area attracted more than 908,000 visitors, including about 126,000 residents.