Earlier this week, officials announced that overnight camping at a beach along California’s central coast would be banned for the next two years due to an excess of “human waste.”
On Thursday, the California Coastal Commission announced that overnight camping and campfires will be banned at San Carpoforo Beach, a beach in the Big Sur area of the state.
San Carpoforo, or “San Carpo” as it’s better known to locals, is located off Highway 1 in northern San Luis Obispo County, and about four hours south of San Francisco. It is also the only free beach campsite in the Big Sur area, which was not widely known until recently.
However, recently, word spread about the beach’s free status, leading to a huge uptick in visitors.
The Commission detailed the deteriorating quality of the beach in a staff report recently made available, noting that the uptick in visitors, combined with a lack of resources for the U.S. Forest Services to monitor the site and a lack of trash cans, restrooms and fire rings have led to higher levels of trash and debris, the report said.
“Although free hike-in ‘leave no trace’ style beach camping has been occurring for many years consistent with the continued presence of sensitive species and habitats, recent increases in visitation, along with management issues and the lack of amenities, has led USFS to be concerned about substantial impacts on both the sensitive habitat areas and the visitor experiences,” the Commission wrote in the staff report. “The beach has no restrooms, very limited parking, no potable water, and no trash containers or collection.”
The area is home to several endangered animals, such as the western snowy plover, which has been negatively impacted by the beach’s deteriorating conditions.
The report proposes that, “For protection of endangered species, adopt regulations similar to those of the adjacent State Parks land to prohibit fires, camping, and dogs on the beach. Additionally, post signs and temporary fencing around Western snowy plover breeding areas during breeding season.”
While the camping ban is in effect, the U.S. Forest Service will create a plan to “reset” and figure out a way to allow camping in the future. Day use of the beach is still available for visitors.
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Author: John Symank
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