Commission Says Off-Roaders Can Keep Using Dunes

The California Coastal Commission said Friday it will allow off-road enthusiasts to keep using Oceano Dunes, after learning that an endangered bird species in the area appears to be holding its own. Western snowy plovers breed along the Pacific Coast from Washington to Baja California, Mexico. A state parks report shows that 35 of the 62 chicks born this season have survived to an age when they were able to fly from nests atop the sand.