Group files another lawsuit against off-road vehicles at the Oceano Dunes

June 21, 2026

By KAREN VELIE

An environmental group known to target off-highway vehicle recreation, filed another lawsuit last week against the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. Their latest suit seeks to protect snowy plovers, an endangered shorebird.

However, snowy plovers are thriving at the Oceano Dunes because of the off-highway vehicle dollars being spent on their protection. Under State Park’s management, the population of breeding adult snowy plovers increased from approximately 30 breeding adults in 2002 to over 200 in 2024, according to a court ruling earlier this year.

Even so, off-road vehicles have harmed or killed a small number of the endangered bird.

For more than 20 years, California State Parks had failed to finish a habitat conservation plan needed under the Endangered Species Act, a requirement to receive a federal incidental take permit.

In April, U.S. District Court Judge Anne Hwang ordered Sate Parks to close the Oceano Dunes to off-roading until it had received a take permit, which it did in May, after a six week closure. tied to a previous lawsuit by The Center for Biological Diversity.

In its latest lawsuit, The Center for Biological Diversity again argues that allowing vehicles on the dunes harms endangered shorebirds. This time, the group is arguing State Parks also needs state approval for the taking.

It will be up to a judge to decide if the Oceano Dunes area should be closed to off-road vehicles while State Parks seeks state approval.

The lawsuit also argues that State Parks failed “to complete meaningful tribal consultation” with the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, and to “properly evaluate feasible measures that would protect and preserve tribal cultural resources.”

The Northern Chumash, founded by Fred Collins, claims it has deep cultural and historical connection to the coastline. “The Northern Chumash have been the land’s stewards and caretakers since time immemorial, and this role has been compromised by the advent of OHV activities, “Collins claimed.

Collins is what is known as a pretendian, a person who claimed Indigenous heritage without any substantive evidence to support the assertion. During his lifetime, Collins profited by using his alleged Indian heritage for financial gain.

When he was in his 20s, U.S. Custom’s agents arrested Collins in Pismo Beach for smuggling cocaine into the country. He later spent time in prison before going to work as an indigenous monitor at construction sites.

In 2013, certified genealogist Lorraine Escobar researched Collins’s ancestry. She concluded “Collins was not of Native American ancestry and that his maternal lineage was from Mexico,” according to a 2017 appellate court ruling.

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians (Chumash Tribe) was recognized by the federal government in 1901. The Chumash Tribe argues the dunes should remain open for vehicle recreation.

“The Chumash Tribe represents the interests and cultural heritage of the Chumash people, whose historic territory encompasses the Oceano Dunes,” the brief says. “The Chumash have a vested interest in the preservation and respectful use of their ancestral lands, as well as ensuring that their voices are heard in governmental processes affecting these lands.”

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