SANTA CLARA -- The federal government declared an open space area in the South Bay is off limits to off-roading, and off-roading enthusiasts are not happy about it. Thursday night, an estimated 400 off-road fans attended a meeting at the Santa Clara Convention Center to air their grievances.

Last week, the Bureau of Land Management declared an emergency closure of 31,000 acres of the Clear Creek Management area southwest of Hollister. It said it was a matter of public safety since the area contains the largest deposits of asbestos in the nation.

Rick Cooper of the Bureau of Land Management said: "We felt it was important for the Bureau of Land Management to take an immediate closure of the area to reduce risks and protect the public health." The Environmental Protection Agency said the type of asbestos is a known human carcinogen and can cause lung cancer as well as non-cancerous respiratory disease.

Clear Creek has been a popular weekend destination for off-roaders, campers and hikers for decades.

At Thursday's meeting some off-roaders said they have never gotten sick and some doubt the federal governments claim. Ed Tobin of the Salinas Ramblers Motorcycle Club: "I don't believe that there is a health risk. I believe this is another scare to the public by a bunch of ideologues that are looking for something. They're trying save the planet." And Benny King of the Salinas Ramblers Motorcycle Club: "For the government to tell me I can't use government land for my recreation which I've done for the past 30 years is just an infringement on my rights."

The Bureau of Land Management said the closure will be in effect for as long as two years while more studies are conducted.