The number of people using Imperial County’s sand dunes is only going to continue to increase in coming years.
Twenty years ago there might have been 25,000 people using the dunes on a big weekend. Now there might be 10 times that number, according to some estimates.
With so many people crowded into such a small area and so many of those being young people fueled by drugs, alcohol and prospects of wild times in the middle of nowhere, there is going to be trouble sometimes.
Law enforcement officials, both local and federal, have been smart and innovative in recent years in trying to deal with a potential powder keg. But more needs to be done as crowds grow and dangers from accidents, fights and substance abuse increase.
One thing that might be tried is banning repeat dunes troublemakers from the area for a designated length of time. Such restrictions on where people can go have worked with gang members and prostitutes, and the same might work with documented dunes hell-raisers if they face a lengthy stint in jail for going where they aren’t allowed.
Some of the more responsible dunes users are Imperial County residents, and while more and more of our local off-roaders are heading to the Superstition area, they and those locals in the Glamis and Buttercup areas should set good examples for our visitors. As local residents they should be proud of a wonderful resource such as our local dunes and can work to keep those areas safe, clean and open.
They also can emphasize to visiting dunes enthusiasts that Imperial County is not some remote outpost that can be abused willy-nilly. That goes for not only the dunes but for when people pass through Brawley, Westmorland and El Centro. Littering and traffic rules do apply in those towns, too, no matter where you are from in Southern California.
Sure, not all visiting off-roaders will be receptive to such messages, and it might be better to approach those who haven’t been imbibing in recent hours, but every little bit helps.
If Imperial County residents using the dunes are abusing substances or otherwise behaving unsafely, it only will reinforce the stereotypes about our people and our area. So if you are a local who uses the dunes, be wise.
They are our dunes, after all. It’s up to us to make sure they are used safely and wisely.
" I say let them have it all. After all,its just a pile of useless sand that would otherwise not be much good for anything. If they want to go out and break their necks, let them. People just need to realize that nobody owes them anything if they are foolish and get hurt, it was their choice. The taxpayers should not be forced to pay for their care if they get hurt going to a place that hundreds are seriously injured every year. There is no way that Glamis can be made absolutely safe even if there was no alcohol or drugs involved. There will always be a significant risk. There are risks in nearly everything people do for fun. There is even some risk when people sit home and do nothing.
The County receives a nice little profit from these visitors and when times are tough the money they spend here is certainly welcome to many businesses struggling to keep going.
I agree these dunes belong to all Americans as they are Federal property. They don't belong to the County of Imperial. "
holababy wrote on Nov 1, 2007 10:57 AM:
" you must be from somewhere else.
the dunes r not ours.
thats a state and federal resource.
controlled and policed by state and federal employees.
people r people u can not change them. we dont need more useless regulations and law.
imperial valley already has more law enforcement people per resturant than any other county in the state.
we dont need more laws with more enforcement people here. "
calipat wrote on Nov 1, 2007 9:04 AM:
" Only 25,000 people at the dunes on a big weekend 20 years ago? Y'all aren't native to the Valley, are you? Of course, the area available was over twice what it is now, 'cause we weren't having to protect a "fragile, endangered" weed that's been out there for a few hundred years. "
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rickprn wrote on Nov 1, 2007 10:48 PM: