Hot! IF you ride the beach, your support is needed!!!!!!
Contact: Website noted below........
Subject: FRIENDS OF OCEANO DUNES UPDATE Importance: High
In case you haven?t heard, we?re in CRISIS mode again?
The beach is in serious danger of closing ? the closest it?s come to closing since we were founded six years ago.
The short version (more details are on the forums on the website):
Over the last 30 years DPR (Parks) has been leasing a large amount of the land the ODSVRA sits on from San Luis Obispo County (from around pole 3 to pole 6 ? from the beach all the way back to the back fences). The lease is up in June of 2008. We were hoping that Parks could buy the land ? which seemed to be what was going to happen. Then everything fell apart last month at the planning commission meeting. An owner on Strand appealed renewing the lease and the sale. The Sierra Club then chimed in and claimed that the land was never meant for OHV use but as a buffer from the park ? they had an old map to ?prove? it. Therefore the land should no longer be leased and not sold, but fenced in as a buffer. Thus the park would be closed from pole 3ish to pole 8 during Plover season (because the beach is fenced from pole 6 to pole 8 during plover season). The planning commission voted at the meeting (where we had no representation) and rejected the lease and/or sale.
THEREFORE, IF THE DECISION STAYS ? THE BEACH WILL CLOSE!
To add fuel to the fire, the CCC meeting was the very next week. They heard the whole story of a map showing that the land should never have been used for OHV and now want to ?clarify? what should be done with the head of Resources (who both Parks and the CCC reports too). Needless to say they smell blood in the water! Sarah Wan is heading up the ?committee?.
Of course we are fighting this at every level. We have appealed the planning commission?s decision? which will come up again on April 17. But this is a very expensive legal battle? it is not something we can handle with volunteers. We will only be as successful for as long as the money holds out? and at the rate we are going that?s not going to be very long!
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Send money NOW! Become a member officially on the website ? if you don?t have a membership card, you aren?t a member! Send donations ? what?s the beach worth to you? Tell your friends to do the same! As the FoOD president often says, money is our gas pedal ? we?ll hit this hard and fast as long as we can, when the fuel (money) runs out? the race (fight) is over! We will need you to write letters? there will be a separate email regarding what to write and who to send it to in the next few weeks. Be on the look out. Come to the Crab Feed ? it?s a fundraiser! Tell all of your friends to come! You can get your tickets now on the website. Sponsor the t-shirt at the crab feed ($50) ? Buy a table (8-tickets)! ? donate a prize for the raffle.
5TH ANNUAL CRAB FEED
MARCH 31, 2007
KING?S FAIR GROUNDS ? ROSE ROOM
HANFORD, CA
Tickets are $45
Ticket sales will close on March 23rd. We are only selling 300 tickets (no tickets at the door ? pay in advance)
Tickets can be purchased on the website: www.oceanodunes.org.
Search Topic
03/05/2007 12:09 PM
