Fenced paths planned to protect birds

Beach: Base seeking ways to allow safe access for visitors

5/27/00

By THOMAS SCHULTZ 
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

tschultz@newspress.com

Vandenberg Air Force Base officials will construct a pathway bordered with snow fence, to be ready by Thursday, so Lompoc beach-goers can avoid disturbing the nesting grounds of an endangered shorebird.

The announcement came Friday, a week after authorities charged with protecting the western snowy plover said something needed to be done so pedestrians can reach open beaches without trampling the nesting areas that are closed to the public through Sept. 30.

Base officials said that beginning Friday they have stopped handing out trespass citations to first-time offenders found walking on protected zones.

Instead, officials said, in the spirit of education, trespassers can now expect a warning letter. Citations will be issued after a second offense.

Moreover, anyone who is awaiting a hearing after receiving a trespassing ticket in recent weeks will have their cases waived unless violations beyond simple trespassing were involved.

Cases already heard, with offenders already fined, are considered closed, however.

Base officials reported more than 90 violations so far this year. Vandenberg officers have patrolled the beaches six hours a day since the closures began in March.

The plover protections mandated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have shut down all of Ocean Beach and a half-mile of Surf Beach.

Base residents with permits have access to an additional quarter mile at Wall Beach and a half mile at Minuteman Beach.

The new 3,000-foot public pathway will go from Ocean Beach Park, slip behind Ocean Beach dunes and then go adjacent to the railroad tracks to the open and nearby Surf Beach, planners said.

The path will allow Surf Beach visitors to avoid a more dangerous route to that shore that crosses the tracks and traverses a steep embankment.

At a Friday news conference to announce the path plan, Col. Steve Lanning said keeping civilian and military beach-goers happy is a personal priority for him.

"From a commander's perspective, giving beach access to our people is a tremendous morale issue," Lanning said.

The new path will be in place through the summer. A more permanent boardwalk or similar structure is being considered by military and Lompoc civic leaders who have brainstormed solutions to the controversial access situation in recent weeks.

Along with construction of the access path, volunteer docents have been organized by the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce. They are stationed at Ocean Beach and are continuing to educate the public about off-limit areas.

This past winter, more than 3,000 Lompoc residents signed petitions opposing beach closures to protect the plover, which was listed as threatened in 1993.