Folks living in the Santa Maria Valley and vicinity are lucky when it comes to having multiple choices in beaches.

Point Sal and the Guadalupe Dunes are fairly close, and putting a few more miles on the family SUV will get you to El Capitan or Surf beaches.

El Capitan, as a state park, is more fully developed, but that tends to attract bigger crowds on nice beach days. Who wants to go to a beach teeming with humans or when the weathers not cooperative?

If youd prefer to walk a beach in relative solitude, those up the coast better fit the bill, and Surf Beach would be the natural choice, even with the longer commute from the Valley.

But theres a problem, and its the same problem year in and year out. Surf Beach is now officially closed until the end of August, or the end of the nesting season of the Western snowy plover, a drop-dead cutie of a bird, but a species that doesnt do well when a lot of humans are tramping over its nesting area.

And Surf Beach definitely falls into that category. The plover probably like Surf Beach for the same reasons humans like it surf, sand, dunes and relative peace and quiet.

But the area or at least major segments of it is shut down every year because the feds decided there werent enough Western snowy plover to support continuation of the species and they set a limit on the number of violations by humans entering their territory. The magic number is 50.

Dont look for relief from the beach closings anytime soon, if ever. Wildlife experts reckon the plover will need 3,000 breeding pairs to even qualify to be removed from the federal Endangered Species Act roster. They also reckon that wont happen until at least 2047.

So, having maxed out this seasons allowable violations, Surf Beach was officially closed to the public last Friday, until at least the end of August, although the ban could be extended because the official end of the plovers nesting period runs through September.

This has been going on since the 1990s, with the closure date fluctuating and dependent on when folks cross the line into the plovers turf too many times.

We have written about this problem for years, often wondering what there is about the potential extinction of a small, but truly magnificent creature that so many humans either dont understand, or dont care about.

The planet is losing species at an alarming rate, which could turn out to be a huge problem. Most living things are players in a delicate, interactive ballet that maintains balance in nature, and in mankinds existence.

A good example of this has been the recent die-off of bees, which are the conduits for the growth and survival of so many plants that feed the animals humans included and that maintain a balance of life on Earth.

Thats a problem of global significance. But what most folks here on the Central Coast are primarily concerned about is having access to local beaches, so they can enjoy the wonders of nature.

Its a shame Surf Beach has to be closed, but it is important. Its notable that this years closure came more than a month later than last years shutdown. Maybe we are gaining a little more respect for the plovers need for privacy at this crucial segment of their life-sustaining cycle.

One can only hope thats true.

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Our View: Hot days, beaches and birds - Lompoc Record