Nature vs. concrete —— it's a fairly stark choice offered by Orange County's Transportation Corridor Agencies, which wants to run a six-lane freeway through San Onofre State Beach.

A toll freeway, no less.

There are several things that ought to concern North County residents about this proposal, none less than the question of why an Orange County transportation agency is trying to push an Orange County freeway into San Diego County. Make no mistake: This tollway is for the use of Orange County residents, and will have very little benefit to those of us who live in San Diego County, where San Onofre State Beach is located.

There is also the question of taking public land and converting it to the exclusive, semiprivate use of a toll road.

And there is the fact that the state Department of Parks and Recreation is adamantly opposed to the proposal to convert dedicated parkland to a heavy usage designation.

Most of all, we ought to wonder why a local government is trying to overturn the state government's decision to set aside a swath of undeveloped beach for future generations to enjoy.

Besides, it's not as if this proposed toll road would actually make much of a difference in Southern California's traffic gridlock —— it will simply add one more linear parking lot to the mix. Within a few weeks of its opening, once commuters adjust their routes, it will just be another bumper to bumper freeway in a sea of the same.

Doesn't exactly sound like progress, does it?

And in exchange for another impassable highway, area residents will have given up forever a huge chunk of a pristine nature preserve —— one of the very last coastal preserves of any real size in Southern California. It is certainly the last bit of publicly accessible Old California coastline in North County; the only other undeveloped coastal strip open to the public in San Diego County is Border Field State Park south of Imperial Beach.

San Onofre State Beach's tremendous value for both preservation and recreation comes from the fact that it is much more than just a strip of beach a la the other state beaches in North County —— Carlsbad, South Carlsbad, Leucadia, Cardiff and San Elijo. Those state beaches are primarily recreational —— a narrow strip of sand, rocks and surf where families can camp on or near the sand.

San Onofre runs several miles inland, from the breakers up into the foothills. Located as it is immediately adjacent to Camp Pendleton (on which it actually sits; the state park is leased from the federal government), it is a publicly accessible bit of unspoiled, undeveloped Southern California coastland —— the last of its kind outside Pendleton (which is obviously not as accessible to the public as a state beach).

So we have a choice here: Keep the last bit of already designated, already preserved coast as is —— or build yet another concrete ribbon and rob future generations of their natural heritage.

Here's what's at risk, according to Dan Stearns, a spokesman for the state parks department:

"They have selected a choice that puts six lanes of freeway through that park, essentially destroying the park's value as the last remaining open space, camping and remote wilderness area anywhere between Ventura and the Mexican border."

Also at risk here is the Trestles surfing spot —— one of the legendary surf spots in SoCal lore. Run a freeway through that area and tell me you haven't just destroyed one of the touchstones that make Southern California what it is.

San Onofre State Beach belongs to all of us. It is a resource unlike any other —— unique in important, substantial ways that no stretch of freeway can ever be. Unique for wildlife preservation, for maintaining open sightlines, for conserving virgin lands in their natural condition.

There are plenty of places to put a new tollway in Orange County.

There is only one stretch of undeveloped beach left in North San Diego County.

Contact staff writer Jim Trageser at (760) 740-5424 or jtrageser@nctimes.com.