Navy, Surfers Clash over Trestles Historical Designation

The U.S. Navy is objecting to the prospect of making San Onofre State Beach, which encompasses Trestles and other famous surf breaks, an official site on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Los Angeles Times reports that officials worry the designation would encroach on military training exercises at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base:

To wave riders, Trestles represents seven of the primo surf breaks in the world. To Marines, the middle section of the 2.25 miles is an ideal location to teach grunts how to fight their way from ship to shore and inland.

With the San Clemente-based Surfrider Foundation in the lead, surfers petitioned to have Trestles listed on the National Register of Historic Places, for its role in the rise of "surf culture." Surfers hope the listing will ensure that nothing will disrupt the site's isolation and lack of "commercial growth."

The Marine Corps, which owns the beach and the paths leading to it, opposes having Trestles listed, out of concern that the designation might lead to civilian oversight that crimps training.

The California Historical Resources Commission voted unanimously this month to reccommend the site be designated a historical landmark and forwarded the application to the feds.

Locally, business groups and some elected leaders opposed the designation because they saw it as an effort to stymie the proposed extension to the controversial 241 Toll Road.

Read the rest of the Los Angeles Times story here.

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