An effort to deter roadside campers along Highway 1 gains momentum.

Officials say keeping Big Sur wild and scenic will require keeping overnight campers in designated camping spots, something that has been an issue for the various jurisdictions that oversee the 70-mile stretch of coastline. Now, a push for stricter enforcement is gaining momentum.

The nonprofit Community Association of Big Sur spent the summer logging instances of illegal roadside camping along Highway 1 and its arteries. Butch Kronlund, executive director for CABS, says although the data is not comprehensive, it is telling. Over weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the team logged 700 separate illegal campsites and 19 illegal campfires, using an app they had developed for the project.

Kronlund says the 2016 Soberanes Fire, which was started by an illegal camper on state park territory, has left a looming anxiety around illegal camping among locals. The hotspots, according to Kronlund, include Hurricane Point, Big Sur Valley, Plaskett Ridge Road and a turnout near Garrapata State Park.

Monterey County District 5 Supervisor Mary Adams is working on deterrents. District 5 Chief of Staff Sarah Hardgrave says Adams will be bringing a referral to county staff on Dec. 7 pushing to increase the fine for illegal camping, currently $250. Hardgrave says state parks officials have recommended a $500 fine.

Hardgrave and Kronlund are also working on increasing “no camping” signage, which currently only exists at the northern and southern points of Big Sur.

“We’re trying to keep Big Sur wild and scenic and, in order to do that, you can’t have signs every five feet,” Kronlund says. “Right now we have a messaging problem.”