A family in Cannon Beach, Oregon says their historic $1.4 million oceanside cabin is at risk of being buried by shifting sand after state lawmakers banned property owners from clearing it away. The family, who have owned the cabin for generations, argue the new rule threatens the structural integrity and value of their home and could set a troubling precedent for other coastal property owners facing similar natural encroachment.

The dispute centres on Oregon's coastal management rules, which the family says were changed abruptly and without adequate warning, leaving them unable to carry out the sand-clearing work they had previously relied on to protect the property. They contend the cabin, a long-standing local landmark, could gradually be swallowed by dunes without intervention, and are calling on authorities to reconsider or amend the restriction before irreversible damage occurs.