Surf Beach isn’t the only public beach access along the Central Coast that’s facing closure.
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge could be closed when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) completes its comprehensive conservation plan, which will dictate management of the refuge for the next 15 years, according to Michael Brady, who’s leading the project for the USFWS. He expects the final plan to be released sometime this summer, possibly in June or July.
The 2,553-acre taxpayer-funded refuge, which was established in 2000, is the home of several federally endangered plants and animals, including the La Graciosa thistle, marsh sandwort, California red-legged frog, and the Western snowy plover.
Brady told the Sun that the closure option is mainly due to steadily declining funding and would mainly deal with the endangered species issue.
“We lost funding in the last few years,” Brady said. “It’s hard to get a lot done when you don’t have enough employees.”
Glenn Greenwald, the refuge’s last manager, retired in February 2015. A USFWS employee drives up from Ventura every two weeks to manage the refuge, Brady said.
Closing the refuge is only one of the options. Brady added that an alternative option would be either to keep it open just the way it is or keep it open but increase access, particularly among groups interested in research and/or management activities in the refuge.
Brady said the USFWS partners with some groups, such as the San Luis Obispo Land Conservancy and the California State Parks. Increasing access and partnerships could equal more programs at the refuge, such as feral swine and predator management for the snowy plover—which are currently not practiced at the refuge, Brady said.
A closure would mean no public access for 15 years, Brady said, although it’s possible access could be granted under special—albeit rare—circumstances.
The refuge is also a popular spot for tourists, surfers, and other beachgoers. Doug Jenzen, executive director for the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center in Guadalupe, said the refuge is a big draw for local tourism, and closing it would mean a loss for the local economy.
“There’s a lot of good things happening on the refuge, whether it’s hiking, research, or photographers that want to go out there,” Jenzen told the Sun. “These situations are great because they drive tourism and drive the local economy, and they’re sustainable because they never go away.
“There’s always visitors,” he said. “If the refuge were to close, it would be a shame to lose all of that.”
When the refuge is open to the public, it’s not unusual to have a hard time finding a parking spot near the beach.
The beach itself isn’t entirely off limits to the public, technically. California law generally allows public access to its beaches, particularly if the public has continually used the area in question for five years or more.
The last public meeting regarding the refuge plan was held on March 22 in Grover Beach. The 45-day public comment period is still open, however it closes on April 18.
Comments can be sent by mail at Pacific Southwest Region, Refuge Planning, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2800 Cottage Way, W-1832, Sacramento, CA 95825; or by email at fw8plancomments@fws.gov. When emailing, include Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes CCP in the subject line.
This article appears in Apr 14-21, 2016.