FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — Friends of Oceano Dunes issued a statement after a court ruled that the parks department violated the Endangered Species Act by allowing vehicles to drive on the dunes.
“Brief update from Friends of Oceano Dunes regarding the recent Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) lawsuit victory against Oceano Dunes District – Pismo issued 4/9/26,” Friends said.
CBD victory means closure to all vehicles south of Arroyo Grande Creek until Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) is completed and the Incidental Take Permit (ITP) is issued. California State Parks, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division estimates the HCP/ITP to be completed by end of May (~2 months).
As a result of the ruling, Oceano Dunes SVRA will be temporarily closed to camping and OHV use south of Arroyo Grande Creek beginning Tuesday, April 14. All camping reservations after this date will be canceled through May 22, or until the HCP is completed and an Incidental Take Permit is issued.
Refunds will be issued for affected reservations. The area south of the creek will remain open for non-OHV recreation. Day-use passes for the Pismo Street Beach area will be limited to 1,000 and may be adjusted. This is a temporary measure expected to remain in place until the Habitat Conservation Plan is completed and an Incidental Take Permit is issued, currently estimated for late May
FILE – The Western Snowy Plover, about the size of a sparrow, is listed under the US Endangered Species Act as threatened. (Courtesy: Bird Alliance of Oregon)
In July of last year, the California Supreme Court upheld off-highway vehicle use at Oceano Dunes.
The Court declined to hear a petition from the California Coastal Commission (CCC) seeking to ban off-highway vehicles (OHVs) at Oceano Dunes.
The decision to decline to hear the petition reaffirmed the previous ruling by the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, which found that the CCC’s attempt to prohibit OHV use contradicted the Local Coastal Plan (LCP).
It was a significant victory for OHV enthusiasts.
FILE – The sign at Oceano Dunes on California’s Central Coast. (Photo: FOX26)
A federal court ruled that the California Department of Parks and Recreation violated the Endangered Species Act by allowing motorized vehicle use that harms imperiled shorebirds at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, and the decision restricts that use.
In its decision, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California reaffirmed its November 2025 summary judgment ruling that continued vehicle use in snowy plover habitat results in the illegal “take” of protected birds. The Endangered Species Act prohibits killing or harming snowy plovers without authorization from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“The court’s ruling makes it clear that off-roading in snowy plover habitat violates the Endangered Species Act and must stop,” said Zeynep Graves, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “For decades, state officials have let off-road vehicles tear through protected habitat at Oceano Dunes, injuring and killing snowy plovers, harassing roosting flocks, and degrading their habitat. These threatened shorebirds will be safer and stand a better chance at survival thanks to this ruling.”
The ruling prohibits State Parks from issuing new permits or authorizations of motorized vehicle use in snowy plover habitat at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area south of Arroyo Grande Creek without a valid incidental take permit from the Fish and Wildlife Service. The order includes limited exceptions for management, emergency and law-enforcement vehicles.
The Center for Biological Diversity said state park officials began developing a habitat conservation plan in the early 2000s to secure an Endangered Species Act permit to incidentally “take” protected wildlife, but the plan remains unfinished more than two decades later. The Center said the agency has continued to authorize motorized vehicle use at Oceano Dunes without a permit, and that State Parks’ own records document many incidents in which snowy plovers have been killed and harmed by vehicle activity.
The Center filed its lawsuit in 2020 after providing formal notice of violations to State Parks in 2017 and 2020. The ruling confirms that Endangered Species Act protections apply to state agencies that authorize activities resulting in illegal take of protected wildlife.
Jorge Moreno with California State Parks issued the following statement:
California State Parks disagrees with the court ruling to suspend off-highway vehicle recreation at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA). State Parks operates one of the most successful western snowy plover conservation programs on the West Coast at Oceano Dunes SVRA. This lawsuit does nothing to improve the program and will result in thousands of families losing their camping reservations and coastal recreational access, while cutting operational revenue that funds environmental conservation. We are reviewing our options to continue to effectively maintain both important environmental protections and coastal access for all Californians.
Background: As a result of the ruling, Oceano Dunes SVRA will be temporarily closed to camping and OHV use south of Arroyo Grande Creek beginning Tuesday, April 14. All camping reservations after this date will be canceled through May 22, or until the HCP is completed and an Incidental Take Permit is issued. Refunds will be issued for affected reservations. The area south of the creek will remain open for non-OHV recreation. Day-use passes for the Pismo Street Beach area will be limited to 1,000 and may be adjusted. This is a temporary measure expected to remain in place until the Habitat Conservation Plan is completed and an Incidental Take Permit is issued, currently estimated for late May.
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