At 06:14 PM 5/1/99 -0700, S&C Richardson wrote:

>I'd love to have a reference to which WAC or RCW this is.

>I have discussed beach driving with a representative of the Department of
>Transportation, who said the +ACI-highway+ACI- law is a myth that they
continually
>try to dispel.

It's possible the myth persists because it's NOT a myth
in Oregon, indeed it's the basis for the public ownership
ruling by our Supreme Court back in the 60s. I believe
Governor Oswald West was responsible for declaring state
right of way to beaches back in the 20? teens? and while
McCall or the legislature at his prodding formalized
this with the beach bill defining the state's right to
land up to the mean high tide mark (or perhaps it was
the Supreme Court in their ruling that did so, I
forget).

Maybe one of you Washingtonians
can clarify the situation in Oregon for me :)

Anyway, parts of Oregon beaches are actually owned by
private parties, the state simply has a right of way
which it exercises in an abolute manner.


- Don Baccus, Portland OR <dhogaza at pacifier.com>
Nature photos, on-line guides, and other goodies at
http://donb.photo.net