So now we’ve reached the point with the Oceano Dunes where even the selfless people who come to the rescue of others are dying.
Such is the case of Christopher Meadows, the EMT who was killed in an ATV accident while rushing to the aid of an injured Dunes visitor.
In his haste to reach the scene, Christopher descended a hill too quickly and lost control. He was then hit by another rescue vehicle trailing behind him.
This is yet another example of a life lost needlessly at a state-sponsored park where users’ recklessness is a way of life and serious injury or death may lurk behind any sand dune.
How many people have to get killed in the name of goofing off before something changes?
If you want to rip around like an idiot on your quad, go buy a little plot of useless land in the desert where the only one who will suffer from any of your stupidity will be you and you alone.
Do it where we don’t have to hear your whining engines, where you won’t pop a wheelie over a ridge and land on someone’s head, where others don’t have to pick up your empty beer cans and potato chip bags, where threatened birds and plants don’t live, and where we, the taxpayers, don’t have to pay to try to keep you safe.
Basically, do it somewhere else.
On a related note, the latest news from the governor is that he wants to slash the entire $145 million State Parks general fund budget in two years in his continuing effort to pull California out of its pit of red ink.
This could result in result in the closure of 80 percent of our state parks.
I would say he can start with the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area.
Unfortunately, thanks to some budget foolishness, it appears the Dunes are immune to the state’s current problems because the park’s money comes from gas taxes.
How awesome is it that some of the money we all pay to fill up our tanks apparently gets siphoned off to subsidize zones for off-road joyriders, while our other “gentle-use” state parks are forced to rely on the general fund and visitor fees.
Not awesome at all.
closing that park would cost the state money and its no different than driving down the freeway on vacation having an accident and an emt hurt responding to that maybe the roads should be only for essential driving and I want to be the one that decides what essential is
If the dunes closes so will most of the tourist based buisnesses. Like it or not much of the Money spent in this town comes from the dunes. as businesses close the locals move, when they move the local infrastructure dwindles. no money no jobs.
You also must remember that the people who ride on the dunes make a choice to do so.
$$$$$ vs. delicate habitat,nice to know where your priorities lie.After 60 years on this coast,I know that the only people who want to keep the dunes open are those who really don’t care about them,so tear it up,burn gas,release your emissions in our once clean air,you will always have those who care only for $$$$ and nothing for the future.Thanks alot….
Why not increase entry cost so the dunes become self sufficient? And put a big sign at the entrance with the death toll for the year.
See http://www.safebeachanddunes.org for our series, “What We Need To Know About
Oceano Beach and Dunes”. Watch Ch 2 Sat noon, Mon 9 p, Thurs 10 am.
There will always be disagreement on the environmental and recreational aspects of driving wild on the dunes; but the human cost has just become too great. I feel terrible for the EMT who died, but even worse for those who must say, over and over, “I’m so sorry but your little boy won’t walk or feed himself for his lifetime.”
The time to put this death-trap to sleep is now.
Joey Racano
http://www.earthsourcemedia.com
The idea that we’ll lose business if we close the park is hogwash. This is precisely when we’ll get our towns back, and begin to transform our area into an eco-friendly, pedestrian friendly area where all will be welcome to enjoy our shores. Local property values will rise as businesses move in. We’ve got all the ingredients–great weather, sun, surf, water, history. We just need to get rid of the noisy, dusty kicking, constant stream of street-destroying trailers and trucks hauling in gas-guzzling vehicles and desperadoes. We should put in a streetcar that runs up and down Grand, from the trains station to the Village. Time to move forward, and quit looking backwards. Support clean, wind sports, and transition off fossil fuel. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem!
DuVal can’t even have a few junkers around, but the State gets to build an entire blankity blank city in the dunes without water, without sewer, without a power pole, without a stop sign, without a traffic light, without a police station, without a fire station, without blankity blank roads even! And now this poor young man with his life ahead of him dies because of it. If not this, then what?
It only seems fitting that a steroid junkie would keep open the park for adrenaline junkies. They share a bond of destruction.
The legislature of CA takes my gasoline tax to support a recreation for a minority of CA residents that uses more gasoline; hence creating more environmental pollution and excessive carbon emissions in this critical time when our nation is trying to rely less on fossil fuels and the earth is needing to go “green”. I vote to use MY gasoline tax (in fact all of our gasoline taxes) to pay off the deficit so we can save the true State Parks whose motto is to preserve and protect the “lands”, wherein I can recreate myself by walking, hiking, or listening to the ocean or birds, and not poisoning the environment with my thrill seeking selfishness.
Oh boy! If only half of what you say is true this place really needs to close! All of these facts make a great case. How could anyone disagree? All of the idiots and white trash on our beach need to go! Now!
Change is coming to the Dunes for lack of state funding. How ironic and grim that lack of tax dollars trump years of documented loss of human life and habitat. The old arguments are irrelevant. Close it. Live with it. Watch the ecosytem and wildlife recover. See the community thrive. See people walk the beach and forget that it was once a major highway.
OHV Division…you should be ashamed of yourselves for trying to use State Parks name and reputation for your destructive and deadly ventures. State Parks were created to protect and preserve nature and its habitat. It’s time you redirect your focus and begin practicing State Parks mission statement. California State Parks are focused on reducing emissions within their parks and you, OHV Division, are focused on doubling emissions within your so-called parks. It’s time you join the movement.
It’s nice when the facts are brought out instead of pure agenda. I’m surprised the off-roaders haven’t filled these comments with their usual wisdom.
The beach is NOT a road. We need to listen to waves—-not engines which have taken over our lives.
Well Blank, we should close roads as well. How many people die a year on the 101,. How much air pollution happens due to all the freeway drivers? Lets make driving anything but an electric car illegal. It sounds as if you people want to control every aspect of peoples lives. I have never been on an ATV in my life, but if people want to assume the risk, then let them. It is a shame that this man died, but he could have driven slower/ridden on a safer path. I hate the Baco’s who come into the county, but they bring in tourist revenue when our county can use all the money it can get. Raise the cost and make the park self sufficient.
Yes, it’s a deathtrap or No, it’s our God-given right to pollute the environment with exhaust and noise, run over little shorebirds and try to be as dangerous as possible without actually intentionally getting killed? Is that your fair, unbiased supposition? Surely you jest. Why do people adopt these crazy, “My Way or the Highway” mentalities? Who are these people? I want to know where they are at all times.
What happened to “live and let live”? What happened to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”?
This “close the dunes because I don’t like the way you use it” radical dialogue is no better than the diatribe Islamic extremists use when they say, “You either think the way we think or you die.” Sadly, this radical, one-sided foaming is not one iota better than ANY individual who foolishly believes the outdoors is a domain reserved exclusively for their use and for use by those who hold their same ME beliefs.
You want to close the dunes? Then be fair. Advocate closing the dunes to everyone including your special interest group. This “No to you guys only who choose to recreate differently than we do on a postage-stamp size stage” ranks right up there with those who permanently damage trees by driving spikes into them and opening the trees to insects which kill the whole forest.
I have had three heart attacks, open heart surgery and an implant so that I can live a somewhat normal life. Explain to me why a healthy person should be allowed to access the beach when I cannot? Perhaps it is a funny concept to you but you see, wheel chairs don’t roll too well in the sand. That’s why this country has laws against those who would discriminate against others by denying access.
Your proposal to close the dunes to all except healthy hikers is discriminatory and typical of certain mean-spirited people in this world who have no regard for anyone except themselves.
Way to go Slocal99 – Excellent point!
Lets take it one step further…. once we eliminate the ATV, lets kick people off the beach – after all remember the snowey plover cannot stand the stress…. Now imagine this.. without access to the dunes or the beaches what would Oceano or Pismo Beach look like? What the heck is there in town that would attract tourists besides the beach or the dunes???????? If the eco-wackos have their way, we will not even be able to look at natural sites such as this for much longer – why? according to QM just to look at something is changing it at that very second..
So, if the dunes are closed, how do you propose we make up the loss in tax revenue and jobs in that area? Or does that not matter to you?
“Shutter Down” Gov.!!!!!
Mr. Denneen and I covered this over a year ago:
The beach IS a road
Road is defined in Vehicle Code section 527 as, “any existing vehicle route established before January 1, 1979, with significant evidence of prior regular travel”. Oceano Dunes recently celebrated over 100 years of vehicle access.
The Vehicle Code continues, “Even though nature may alter or eliminate portions of an existing vehicle route, the route shall still be considered a road”. Further, “A vehicle route need not necessarily be a publicly or privately maintained surface to be a road”. It was long ago upheld in court that Oceano Beach is a road. This road provides many families, disabled and elderly with access to the tide and enjoyment of nature.
Good write-up, Joe. It’s a deathtrap!
Just let the crazed vehicle people all go crash and burn Darwin style. Soon enough we will be rid of them and take our beach back.
If they all die tomorrow on the dunes it won’t be too soon!
Death to all off-roaders and their families!
Mr. Denneen and I covered this over a year ago:
The beach IS a road
Road is defined in Vehicle Code section 527 as, “any existing vehicle route established before January 1, 1979, with significant evidence of prior regular travel”. Oceano Dunes recently celebrated over 100 years of vehicle access.
The Vehicle Code continues, “Even though nature may alter or eliminate portions of an existing vehicle route, the route shall still be considered a road”. Further, “A vehicle route need not necessarily be a publicly or privately maintained surface to be a road”. It was long ago upheld in court that Oceano Beach is a road. This road provides many families, disabled and elderly with access to the tide and enjoyment of nature.
It’s nice to finally read plainly the bias that drives the Tribune–that they even have the gall to link to a bias blog right from the news article! No counter-point needed–the Trib at work. However, this is something we off-roaders always knew.
IGNORANCE #1: OUR GAS TAX & registration fees pay for the park, NOT YOURS.
IGNORANCE #2: So it’s either a “Deathtrap” or a bunch of polluters. Nice fair poll, Joe.
IGNORANCE #3: Any pollution from O.D. is almost negligent. There are over 4 TRILLION vehicle miles driven in SLO County each year. If all 2 million O.D. visitors (which is VERY generous as most visitors are on foot) each drove 10 miles, that would result in 20 million miles on the dunes—exactly 0.0005% of the annual miles driven in the county.
IGNORANCE #4: How many miles to you drive in your car that could be considered “recreational” or “unnecessary”? Does that include spending time with family and friends?
IGNORANCE #5: Where were YOU and the people that supposedly care about the beach on Coastal Cleanup Day? A total of 121 OFF-ROADERS were at Oceano Dunes and EXACTLY ZERO non-off-roaders. WE OFF-ROADERS were the #1 Coastal Cleanup site in SLO County. Montana de Oro was right behind, so don’t start in that our beach is messier.
IGNORANCE #6: You apparently believe everyone but your enlightened self is a neanderthal. Pretty shameful, sir. Have you EVER spent time at the dunes? Gotten to know ANYONE there? I guarantee you these people are the blue-collar workers (and more) that are your firefighters, cops, prison guards, food producers, AMBULANCE DRIVERS and more.
IGNORANCE #7: You imply that Chris Meadows was an idiot???
SELFISH IGNORANCE #8: You have over 900 miles of beach in California, and you just can’t live through your day until you take away the 3 miles that doesn’t suit you. Do I have this correct?
Pretty sad reporting, Trib!
IGNORANCE #1: OUR GAS TAX & registration fees pay for the park, NOT YOURS.
IGNORANCE #3: Any pollution from O.D. is almost negligent. There are over 4 TRILLION vehicle miles driven in SLO County each year. If all 2 million O.D. visitors (which is VERY generous as most visitors are on foot) each drove 10 miles, that would result in 20 million miles on the dunes—exactly 0.0005% of the annual miles driven in the county.
IGNORANCE #4: How many miles to you drive in your car that could be considered “recreational” or “unnecessary”? Does that include spending time with family and friends?
Remember when the Sierra Club and the off road riders wanted the same thing for the Oceano Dunes? It took a proposed nuclear power plant in the dunes to unite them in opposition, the year was 1965.
The reason there are so many problems at Oceano Dunes is because of the environmentalists. They close the majority of the beach down every summer and cause all the campers to stack on top of each other. Naturally you are going to have more problems as a result. I am so sick to death of Sierra Club Zeelots telling me what part of the earth I can enjoy and how. They successfully shut down Tuolumne Meadows to our horse group and now they want to take away another area my family enjoys going. We are always very responsible, pick up all of our litter and leave the camp spotless. My husband is disabled and this is the only way we can enjoy a family vacation all together. Yes there are accidents but there are accidents every where. This is just one more excuse for the Sierra Club to control our lives. How many miles of beach can citizens drive on? 3 at the most and you zeelots just can’t stand it. There are enough areas protected for wildlife…what about areas protected for the citizens of the United States to enjoy? Find another cause….you bunch of good for nothings.
zealots?