Survival Race: California Beach Turns To Wild West Chaos

At the super-remote southern end of the Lost Coast, the Signon Wilderness (California) campground is accessible only by a steep, single-lane dirt road. According to recent visitors, the area is popular with "weekend warriors" who come in expensive SUVs and light bonfires, set off fireworks, hold multi-day raves, camp on the beach - all illegally. Author of the publication San francisco gate I personally went to this beach and saw what kind of picture was there.

Photo: Shutterstock

“To find out how crazy things are, I went with my partner and dog to Usal Beach for the weekend. However, I wasn't quite prepared for what I got myself into on that foggy August day when I turned onto Usal Road. A few minutes later, a Jeep Wrangler turned the corner and rushed towards me, swerved and crashed into the side of my Kia Niro, tearing off part of the bumper. This is bad, I thought,” writes the author.

This remote outpost in California's most pristine coastal wilderness has a long history of illegal events as well as remarkable periods of relative calm. Due to the very uneven terrain, the builders of Highway 1 bypassed the Lost Coast, and the developers largely ignored it. As a result, much of the unspoiled region attracts avid tourists from all over the world. In quieter times, families, tribal members and fishermen considered Usal Beach their spiritual home.

Talking to locals, campers, campers, a California parks official, and a former ranger, it became clear that the lack of staff in California's parks was creating serious problems. The agency is aware of the situation and is working to bring the bandit back under control. But what is needed for this?

"In the park service, it was what we call 'public access,'" says John Jennings, a retired ranger and the first person to ever patrol Usal Beach. He still lives near the wilderness and volunteers for non-profit outdoor groups. He's seen it all there since 1986, when Usal Beach was added to the state park.

Prior to that, he says, "for many, many years, they allowed virtually unlimited free camping."

By "them" he means the logging company Georgia-Pacific Lumber Corporation. Environmentalists filed a lawsuit against the company in the 1980s for trying to cut down the remains of the redwoods. Instead of fighting, the company sold its land to Trust for Public Land.

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Of course, this was not always the case. The park is named after the Signone people who have lived here in villages for thousands of years, hunted and fished for food in the hills, and fished in streams and the sea. In the mid-1800s, European settlers drove them out, and logging soon began. The woodland changed hands many times in the 1900s, and at some point, Usal Beach turned into a business city with a sawmill and a hotel.

However, by the time Jennings began patrolling in the 1980s, people believed they could do whatever they wanted there. He regularly had to call in reinforcements to enforce the new park rules that prohibited camping and driving on the beach, but reinforcements did not always show up on time. He called these incidents "colorful".

Visitors rode off-road, drove on sand, lit illegal fires, and failed to clean up after themselves, damaging sensitive habitat and risking public safety. “You can't have people shooting targets in one camp and a family with small children running around in another,” Jennings said. “Such things are incompatible.”

Eventually a second seasonal ranger, working from June to September, was stationed nearby at what is now the Standish-Hickey Recreation Area. Although that ranger lived an hour's drive away, he made the 22-mile drive every day to patrol the beach.

When Jennings retired in 2002, he said, there were six Rangers on staff working in the Redwoods area. With sufficient personnel, Jennings and the other Rangers were able to manage Usal Beach. Fifteen or 15 campgrounds have been set up, he said, each with a picnic table and bonfire, as well as half a dozen toilets.

“It wasn’t like the Wild West before. It was more of a family camping and hiking trail,” he explains.

But even in those days there were problems. Jennings recalls that there were large logs along the road—de facto barriers—but some visitors to Usal still drove onto the beach illegally. “The rangers will sooner or later catch up with these people and issue them a fine,” he is convinced.

But most of the visitors came to see the elk, which walked in large numbers on the beach. They came to surf along the coast.

Today, seven sector parks are served by three rangers. These include places like Richardson Grove Park and Humboldt Redwoods Park, which are almost two hours from Usal Beach. California State Parks spokesperson Adelina Yee said the reason the rangers have not increased is due to the difficulty of recruiting and retaining staff in remote areas of Mendocino and Humboldt counties.

According to the owners of the Sinkyone Wilderness camp, these areas have become increasingly attractive to visitors from places like the Bay Area lately. Some visitors host large unauthorized activities and camp in large numbers on the beach, which can lead to sanitation and fire hazards.

“People put sand in their fires to put them out, but they will stay hot for days and you can accidentally step on them and get terrible burns, especially children,” Jennings says. - This is most likely on a sandy beach, where there may not even be a ring of fire; they simply make a small depression in the sand and light a huge fire.”

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“Back at Usal Road 10 minutes into my hike, I was nervous about running into the crowd member who had just crashed into my car. But as soon as the man got out of his Jeep, he apologized, showed his ID and insurance card, and helped me secure my bumper with zip ties. The trunk did not close, but the trip could be continued,” the author writes.

“I drove slowly, very slowly, through the hills, holding the steering wheel and honking my horn as I approached blind turns. “When I finally reached the sign for the Peter Douglas Trail, it was a great relief,” the author continues. — At the end of the trail I saw Usal Beach for the first time. Dozens of tents and cars have already arrived for the weekend. Continuing our journey, we reached a dry creek bed where thousands of salmon once swam in clear water.”

“Roadlessness on the beach and in creek beds is becoming a big problem,” said Carla Thomas of the Humboldt Redwoods Interpretative Association, a partner organization that receives grants and donations to fill gaps in funding for park systems. “The silt clogs the gills of coho salmon and other fish species, and they die.” She noticed that driving on the beach reduces the survival rate of fish eggs the following season.

Thomas tries to maintain a positive attitude, stressing that a new camp program is under consideration and many people who care about the site are trying to keep it.

“Regulars volunteer to pick up litter and encourage safer behavior among visitors,” she explains.

While Carla agrees with Jennings that staff shortages after the 2008 recession are causing problems, she notes that Redwoods North Coast District Superintendent Victor Bjelajak helped the park gain more infrastructure and human resources.

California's parks budget for permanent staff in the sector, Yee said, is $ 395 for the current fiscal year, a slight improvement from $ 708 last year. But for the 364-090 fiscal year, the district spent about $ 2007 on permanent and seasonal staff in the sector. Last year, $ 2008 was allocated for seasonal personnel, Yee added, and this figure is still being refined this year. There are plans to hire additional officers in Redwoods County, add regulatory and explanatory signs, and rehabilitate 849 campgrounds, she said.

Like many parks, Usal has seen an increase in visitation during the pandemic and issued warnings and fines to those who broke the laws, Yee said. Five tickets were issued in 2021: one for an unregistered vehicle, one for operating a vehicle in an unspecified location and three for violations involving passengers in the bed of pickup trucks.

During popular visits such as the XNUMXth of July weekend, Yee explains, patrols are intensified, and law enforcement and rangers from other areas can also respond if necessary. In addition, the agency is analyzing social media for illegal activities planned on Usal Beach.

“Although Yee says that park security personnel “regularly patrol Usal Beach,” what I have seen so far, and certainly the rest of my overnight trip, suggests otherwise,” the author notes. — When we arrived at the tent camp, which was hidden in a forested area away from the beach, the only campsite had recently been vacated. We were lucky as there are no reservations and no fees at the beach. According to Jennings, there is an unfortunate reason for this."

Back when he was a ranger, the campground on Usal Beach had a so-called iron ranger - a piggy bank for collecting information and contributions from vacationers. “But at the moment no one is paying,” he says. “The Iron Ranger no longer exists, it was stolen.”

The park system doesn't have the funds to put up another one because there's a chance someone will steal it again, Jennings said. “You're dealing with a pretty tough group, and it's going to take a lot of effort to get it right,” he says.

“As we approached our camp, we noticed that the previous inhabitants had left a couple of large bags of garbage in the bushes. In the meantime, a couple of ATVs (which are prohibited) and trucks loaded with firewood (which are also prohibited) have passed by. There was a pit bull near our camp, so I quickly shoved my little dog back into the car. Elsewhere in the camp, an American flag was raised and a large fire burned, which is also prohibited. "

“On our way to the beach, we stopped at one of the restrooms and found a sign inside that said, 'Our septic pump system is out of service for an extended period of time during repairs due to debris in the pit,'" the message said. “We apologize and are very sorry about this situation.”

“There were families on the beach flying kites and fishing together. The youths claimed they were part of a group that drove off-road in cheap old cars and collected rubbish. One car got stuck, and several people had to dig it out and push it, the author says. “Meanwhile, the neighboring camp was filling sandbags for a stage that would be used later. According to one Instagram user, this kind of beach raves and dancing is to be expected as it "definitely has a party vibe."

“The DJ came out with all his equipment and played all night, I think until about three o’clock,” the author wrote. — When we returned to our camp, loud music and the sounds (also prohibited) of fireworks or possibly gunshots continued for many hours until late at night. I was only able to sleep for two hours. The next morning, the campground was dead silent as we loaded our belongings and everyone else's trash into the car. On our way out, we saw a deer and a fawn nibbling on dust-covered leaves. I thought that despite the way people treated Usal, all was not lost. The place is still beautiful. And everyone we met was certainly pleased.”

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Some beachgoers expressed hope, while others feared that the “peaceful” scenario in Usal was unlikely to last long. One fisherman said he had been fishing for decades, but recently the reckless driving had made him nervous about his children.

“Eventually someone will get killed here,” the fisherman said. “And they will close it.”

In fact, in 2002, a few years before the staff shortage began, one person had already died on Usal Beach. Still, the shrine of 18-year-old Catherine Rose Martinez, located at the entrance to the beach and consisting of beer cans, a wooden cross, a statue of Buddha, a broken clock and other miscellaneous items, seems eerily appropriate.

“Katherine accidentally fell from the back of a pickup truck and was killed while partying with many young friends and relatives near this location,” reads the inscription at the monument. “We ask you to be very careful here so that nothing tragic ever happens on this beach again.” Move slowly and please provide help to anyone who needs it."

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