The California Coastal Commission has voted to phase out off-road vehicle use at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area within the next three years. The California Coastal Commission has ordered an end to off-road driving at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area within three years as part of an effort to restore eight miles of fragile coastline to a more natural state. In a 10-0 vote late Thursday night, the panel ended a 40-year battle with the California Department of Parks and Recreation over off-highway vehicle, or OHV, activity at the only state park where vehicles can be driven along the beach. However, off-roaders vowed to take the matter to court. “The California coast won,” said Steve Padilla, chair of the commission. “Fundamentally, California law doesn’t allow for that kind of use in environmentally sensitive areas.” Environmentalists and residents expressed relief that the lengthy, bitter dispute ended in favor of preserving the scenic stretch of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes complex, which undulates for 18 miles along California‘s Central Coast near San Luis Obispo. The area is home to endangered steelhead salmon and two species of birds: the Western snowy plover and the California least tern. In discussing the commission’s action […]
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