A decision on whether to allow equestrian use on the Morro Dunes Ecological Reserve Trail in Los Osos is expected this week.
“It gets us to the other side of town safely without getting on the road,” said Lynda Roeller, Los Osos resident.
Near the former Sunnyside School site, 286 acres make up the Morro Dunes Ecological Reserve.
“When I go to the post office, get tacos, when I go to town, when I go to the parade, I use this trail and the barns over there use this trail to get to the coast,” said Lisa Shinn, Los Osos resident.
While many people hike along the trail or walk their dogs, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife says horses are not allowed. Riders, however, say it would provide them with access to the coast and a safer option than what they have now.
A Fish and Wildlife spokesperson says horses are prohibited on the trail to protect various plants and endangered animals.
“This particular trail that we’re asking for, which is one trail that links the other two trails, is wide and sandy not a place for snails, kangaroo rats,” Shinn claimed.
For now, riders have to stick to county property and paved streets to get around Los Osos. Seeking a safer option, some equestrians have filed a petition with Fish and Wildlife to allow access to the trail.
“I kind of feel I’m taking my life in my hands every time,” Los Osos resident Barbi Breen-Gurley said about riding her horse on the street.
“We have very few drivers that recognize the potential problem between a vehicle and a horse,” added Geof Gurley, Los Osos resident.
Some people who live in the area feel the trail restrictions should stay in place.
“The horses have literally destroyed it. They’ve chipped it away,” said one Los Osos resident.
Others feel horses are not the issue.
“It’s natural erosion that is occurring and the horses are not exacerbating that,” Gurley said.
Barbi Breen-Gurley says she and others in the equestrian community are now looking for legal assistance to help with their efforts to open the trail for all.
If the petition is granted this week, then it will be moved to the commission’s rulemaking calendar for future consideration.
