Agreement reached for Oceano Dunes operations during lawsuit
Nonprofit’s lawsuit currently being decided by court
– On Friday, South County nonprofit the Friends of Oceano Dunes reached an agreement with California State Parks to prevent the closure of Oceano Dunes SVRA and Pier Avenue while the a case against the California Coastal Commission was being decided by the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court.
On March 18, 2021, the Coastal Commission purported to change the permit for Oceano Dunes SVRA to require:
(a) closure of the SVRA by 2024,
(b) closure of the Pier Avenue entrance by July 1, 2022,
(c) a prohibition against crossing Arroyo Grande Creek immediately when even a trickle of water is present, and
(d) a host of other interim restrictions on SVRA OHV recreation and camping.
The nonprofit filed a lawsuit to overturn the commission action. Last week, state parks began canceling camping reservations based on minimal amounts of water in Arroyo Grande Creek. This effectively closed OHV and camping at the park.
The nonprofit had been negotiating with state parks and the commission to “stay” the March 2021 permit conditions during the litigation. On Friday, the Friends reached an agreement with state parks, and the commission agreed not to oppose the interim agreement in court.
State parks agreed to immediately allow camping and OHV recreation at the Oceano Dunes SVRA, and to stop crossing at the creek only if water levels in the creek reached 12 inches. The Friends and state parks also agreed that Pier Avenue would not be closed on July 1, 2022, but would remain open while the court was deciding the case. Other technical requirements were modified to make them less onerous on OHV recreation and camping while the case is being decided.
Friends of Oceano Dunes is a 501(C)(3) California not-for-profit corporation expressly created in 2001 to preserve camping and off-highway vehicle recreation at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicle Recreation Area (ODSVRA).
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