Photo by Beth Burback

Five days a week, Theresa Bolch cruises the sand roads of the spit, educating the public about recreational opportunities and use restrictions of this long lick of land.

About five miles long and one mile wide, the spit forms the western rim of Coos Bay. Its sand dunes, forest, marsh and beach are home to many animals and plants, such as deer, foxes, raccoons, osprey, shore pines, beach grass, and at least two endangered species, the Western snowy plover and the pink sand verbena.

Bloch is a biological science technician for the Bureau of Land Management, one of several agencies with jurisdiction on the North Spit. Traveling the North Spit in her 4-wheel-drive vehicle, Bolch is the face of BLM, treating visitors with dignity as she listens to their concerns.

Her welcoming friendliness makes the public receptive to the BLM message of enjoying a pleasant, safe recreational experience while respecting the fragile species that inhabit this wedge of wild beauty.

Bolch recently met a husband and wife at the entrance to the spit.

“Hi, how are you? Have you been here before?”

No, they answered.

“Then you’ll want a map.”

She retrieved one from her vehicle.

“The ocean beach is closed to motorized vehicles,” she said. ‘But there are 12 miles of sand roads you can ride on.”

She indicated the areas, then gave the visitors the detailed map, which she helped produce. At first the couple was stand-offish. But by the end of the conversation, they were laughing, at ease with Bolch and her message.

Back in her vehicle, Bolch logged the contact.

In the summer, she sometimes speaks with as many as 200 people in a day, running up a total of 45,000 visitor contacts during the nine years she has traveled the North Spit.

Next, she stopped at the bay beach site where about 30 people were camped. A young man greeted her, telling her how the group visits the spit yearly. She asked if they needed trash bags and gave them her card.

“If you have problems, give me a call,” she said. ‘Thank you for reading and obeying the signs.”

She logged the contact.

BLM follows a policy of separating user groups as a way to keep all visitors safe. Each group has its specified area of the spit: 12 miles of sand roads around the perimeter for motorized vehicles, 12 miles of interior trails for hikers and horseback riders.

After several more contacts, Bolch arrived at the beach near the jetty, where she checked the ropes and signs marking the restricted area, the summer home of the Western snowy plovers. The BLM is under federal mandate to protect the tiny shore birds that breed along the ‘wrack line,” where high tides deposit seaweed and other flotsam. Their habitat encroached upon, their numbers were nearing extinction until a federal program to safeguard their breeding area was enacted.

From March 15 until Sept. 15, the dry sand area of the North Spit ocean beach is closed to all entry, and the wet sand area is closed to motorized vehicles. Violating this restriction risks a $300 federal fine.

The sand roads can be a driving hazard. Bolch and her BLM colleagues carry shovels and plywood to help dig out sand-mired vehicles.

“We want visitors to have a good time, to respect the environment, and have a safe recreational experience,” she said. ‘Birdwatchers, ATVers, boaters, hikers, horseback riders, all are welcome here.”

By Carol Sanders
Special to The World

These riders take a little break to fill up and discuss their next ride. Photo by Lou Sennick

Want to wake up to the smell of two-strokes? Hang out with ATV enthusiasts at Riley Ranch campground near Hauser.

The Coos County campground boasts 53 full water and electricity hookup sites and miles of ATV tracks. The 135-acre former ranch is open to all three classes of ATV traffic.

The site also has hiking opportunities and is home to the 30-acre Butterfield Lake. Camping access varies in price per night depending on hookups. Cabin camping is $40 per night with a $10 non-refundable reservation fee.

Riley Ranch is located off Highway 101 between Hauser and Spinreel.

Want to know more? Call (541) 396-3121, Ext 354.

Photo by Lou Sennick

Before ATVs, there were ‘wheelers” and dune buggies. Back then, a small group of sand-riding enthusiasts gathered on the North Spit, at what used to be a shooting range. The word-of-mouth gathering gained momentum, and the original sand festival began.

Years  later, the event has returned to the spit and increased in popularity, thanks to organization and promotion of new events.

Most of the events take place at Boxcar, where sand used to be loaded into rail cars. Tractors left steep banks that only the best riders attempted. Now Boxcar is the location for riders to race and strut. The sport is popular with die-hard riders year-round, and summer events such as SandFest bring riders by the hundreds.