Hollister City Council members this week formally supported San
Benito County’s move to reopen roads leading into the Clear Creek
Management Area.
Hollister City Council members this week formally supported San Benito County’s move to reopen roads leading into the Clear Creek Management Area.
Council members voted 5-0 in a resolution to support the county’s decision in April to reopen local roads in that area of southern San Benito County.
The Bureau of Land Management-run Clear Creek Management Area has been off limits since mid-2008 when the federal government called for a temporary closure due to an Environmental Protection Agency study showing dangerous levels of asbestos in a portion of the public attraction, which had drawn thousands of off-highway enthusiasts each year.
County officials in April also urged the federal government – which is considering a set of options for a decision coming as early as this fall – to reopen the Clear Creek area, citing the damage to the local tourist industry.
Reopening the roads did not have an impact on the allowance of access to Clear Creek lands, but federal officials have expressed concern about the potential for users finding their way onto those properties.
