Fort Ord Dunes State Park preserves about 4 miles of Monterey Bay coastline on land that was once part of the closed Fort Ord military installation, where the area included 15 rifle ranges. After restoration, it became a state park in 2009 through the National Park Service’s Federal Lands to Parks Program, with the land required to remain in public park and recreation use permanently. Its beach and dunes are managed for both public recreation and habitat protection, with access limited to marked routes because sensitive species nest there. The park also reflects wider changes at former Fort Ord and broader strains on California’s park system.