The dunes have now seen so much traffic, that they have become rounded off into nothing but big sand "hills". All the dunes are very much smaller than they were just a few years ago!

And because of the beach closure at pole 6, the quality of the camping experience has declined because they are cramming more campers into a smaller area.

My kids love camping on the beach, so I could endure terrible dunes if the camping was great. Or, I could endure terrible camping if the dunes were great. But, when both the dunes AND the camping are bad, I can't see ever going back!

We really need to give the place a rest. I would be in favor of a 1 year moratorium where the place is closed to give the dunes a chance to build back up. It would never happen though, because so much of the local economy is dune related. What we will end up with in a few years, is just a big flat useless sandbox.

 

Sorry to hear this. The same thing is happening to the little sahara in waynoka oklahoma. Ten years ago the dunes were sharp and tall now they are nothing but small rounded hills. You are right though they will never shut down the states biggest money maker. The other problem would be if they shut it down it would probably never get opened back up.

 

The problem is that we are "loving the place to death"! Add to that huge closures that cram all the riders/campers into a smaller area, and we have a disaster.

 

maybe if they move the closures around year to year mother nature can fix itself?

 

the dunes to me have gotten better twords the back and i was shocked if you ask me, i thought i was not too bad besides all the tickets they give out, but it was better then a few years back...JMO

 

More people are moving to California all the time. Then you got the tree huggers doing their thing by closing down riding areas and this is what happens. It's kinda of funny that over time there have been untold numbers of extinctions and the Earth still goes on doing it's thing. We're the first species to give a crap and who's to say in a few thousand years that we will still be here. So what's the point in trying to save other species when there will be new ones taking their place. Maybe I'm just shortsighted.

 

yup

 

Informative post^, haha, just playing with ya man.

 

Unfortunately a one year closure would never work. Once they close it it's gone!!! They would never open it again. They need to reopen the closed portions to give everyone a bigger place to ride and take the pressure off the area that's open now. I'd sure like to see Devils Slide reopened..........

 

Well, i wish they would close pismo down all the way during the summer, but would open it up ALL the way during the winter. The stupid birds arent even there during the winter, so why would they keep it closed? its not like we can harm them when they arent even there. They nest in the dunes for 3 months out of the year. And its not like we even do anything to them while they are there for that matter. there hasnt been one death caused by man in the last 5 years and there have been over 7 million visitors. But thanks to the F**king sierra club we hardly get 7 miles of the 800 mile long california coast.