Oceano Dunes is a state park gone bad. Given current global opinion about the negative impacts of the combustion engine, the use of off-road vehicles in the pursuit of frivolity is nothing short of a crime. To speak of 3-foot fences, barrier trees, or other mitigation is to dance in the wake of continued pollution. Diane Arbus, a famous photographer, was intrigued by lunacy. Her best work was done at insane asylums. Oceano Dunes would be her perfect cup of toxic tea.
The typical ATV emits potent chemicals that should only be inhaled by those already on their death-bed; add in diesel exhaust, death, injury, the dust and haze of “recreational” sand storms, campfire smoke, smoke from burning trash, and you have a “park” that flies in the face of its own mission statement: to provide for the health, inspiration, and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation.
This article appears in Apr 8-15, 2010.