The Oceano Dunes attracts visitors to the area year-round, including enthusiasts and tourists from across the nation who are eager to camp out and go off-road riding in the sand.
But some people are leaving more than just footprints, catching the attention of frequent beachgoers.
“I see trash — bottle caps, plastic, glass — that people just leave behind," said Asia Fiscer, Paso Robles resident.
Over the last few years, trash has been accumulating in one particular area of the Pismo Dunes Natural Preserve that is closed to camping and vehicle access, prompting the Oceano Dunes district to take matters into their own hands and clean up the mess left behind.
But along with trash, they stumbled upon some unexpected finds.
“The biggest item we hauled out of there was actually a ride-on lawnmower,” said State Parks Peace Officer Supervisor Sgt. Darren Parker.
For five hours straight, Oceano Dunes district staff, along with seven CHP employees, formed a cleanup pit crew for illegal camps, waste and abandoned property in areas "not used or accessed by our traditional park visitors and campers, and not cause by the visitors to the park," according to State Parks.
Managing to gather a staggering 19,000 pounds of trash that had to be lifted out of the area by a CHP helicopter, since no cars are allowed to tread there, this cleanup was turned into a literal high-flying operation. State Parks says the CHP officers assisted with the flight operations of the cleanup, transporting around 77 bags of trash.
Sgt. Parker says the volume of trash had crossed into hazardous territory for the environment.
He emphasized, "It’s destroying the natural habitat for our wildlife and our plants out there."
In a bid to leave visitors with a lasting message, the Department of Parks and Recreation wants everyone to tune into a simple but vital mantra.
“Pack it in. Pack it out. We want to preserve the parks for everyone to enjoy," Parker said.
*This story has been updated to reflect that State Parks says the area the cleanup occurred in the Pismo Dunes Natural Preserve was focused on areas not accessed by "traditional park visitors" but in an area where illegal camps had been set up. It also reflects that seven CHP officers assisted with flight operations for the trash removal and not 77, as was originally reported.
