"It wasn’t long after Oceano Dunes locked its gates due to the coronavirus that rare shorebirds started nesting in areas usually reserved for off-roaders and their beach-riding vehicles.
The nesting season of the federally threatened western snowy plover runs from March through September and coincides with the period of greatest human beach use at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area — the only California state park that allows vehicles to drive on the beach.
Now, those clashing interests have spurred ongoing state and federal investigations into reports that California Department of Parks and Recreation rangers deliberately destroyed plover nests in preparation for the long-awaited reopening of Oceano Dunes, near Pismo Beach."
Louis Sahagun reports for the Los Angeles Times June 17, 2020.
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