Hollister - The Bureau of Land Management will begin charging user fees for its Clear Creek Management Area in January 2008 but is giving the public a month to voice opinions.
The Clear Creek Management Area, in San Benito and Fresno counties, is used mostly for off-highway vehicle recreation, according to the BLM. The area has become popular for hunting, camping, hiking, backpacking and hang gliding, said David Christy, the BLM's public affairs officer for Central California.
Under the new fees, all visitors would be charged $5 per regular vehicle and $10 per off-road vehicle. An $80 seasonal pass would allow for unlimited use from October 16 through May 31.
Access to the Clear Creek Management Area is free, but in June 2006 the BLM held a public workshop to determine if the public was willing to pay fees, Christy said.
"Most of the comments we got at the public meeting supported the idea," Christy said.
But BLM officials want to continue soliciting comments until July 27. Christy said people can send their thoughts about the fees to its Field Office at 20 Hamilton Ct. in Hollister.
The fees would pay for permanent toilets, picnic tables, upkeep of roadways, on-site rangers and law enforcement, Christy said. Clear Creek includes about 50,000 acres of public land, said Lesly Smith, an outdoor recreation planner for the Hollister BLM Field Office.
About 35,000 people visit the Clear Creek Management Area annually, Christy said.
But those visitation numbers are not precise, Smith said. With the fees in place, the office should be able to track visitors, she said.
If visitors fully comply with the fees, the area should bring in $300,000, Christy said.
Visitors would either buy permits at a ranger station or pay the fees to a ranger onsite.
Although the public can typically use BLM land for free, the California Recreation Enhancement Act passed a few years ago allows for agencies to collect money, Christy said.
Michael Van Cassell Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335.
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