Recently, Camp Pendleton issued a statement regarding an extension of the lease at San Onofre State Beach. The Surfrider Foundation was pleased to learn about the support to extend the lease three years for San Onofre State Beach. The original lease was set to expire in 2021. A lease extension is exciting to both Surfrider and our partners in the Save San Onofre Coalition who have been working together for more than 15 years to protect the 5th most visited state park from road construction. San Onofre is truly a world-class park—home to the last remaining undeveloped watershed in Southern California, world-famous Trestles Beach, and ten federally-threatened or endangered species. San Onofre State Beach also protects sensitive cultural resources, including the ancient Acjachemen village of Panhe.
Surfrider believes a lease extenstion will provide the Department of the Navy (DON), which owns the Camp Pendleton property, with a path towards planning for a long-term lease renewal of San Onofre. The timing of the park lease extension would coincide with the decommissioning and dismantlement of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). In 2024, an easement between Camp Pendleton and SONGS’ operators is set to expire. Surfrider believes a park lease extension will provide the DON with additional time to collectively analyze the issues regarding the park and SONGS leases.
Over the years, Camp Pendleton has been an incredible steward of the land—mindful of public access while protecting the environment, endangered species and cultural resources. Surfrider looks forward to working with local stakeholders, including the DON, Camp Pendleton, California State Parks and the San Onofre Parks Foundation as a new future unfolds for San Onofre State Beach. As Surfrider has done for several decades, we will continue our work to protect this treasured park for generations to come. To learn more about the Save Trestles campaign over the years, go here.
