Rally against HB187 - Stream access, or lack thereof
In my Jan. 23 column I talked about a bill being cooked up by Rep. Ben Ferry that would undue a ruling by the Utah Supreme Court which clarified that the public has access to stream beds.I ended that column, focused specifically on the impacts to anglers, with "watch for the bill and get involved if you don't think it's fair".
The bill - which will impact everybody from birders, to hunters, to kayakers - showed up last week and the response against it has been astounding.
I've watched anglers create uprisings in recent years over the Little Hole SITLA situation on the Green River and last year's Aquaculture Revitalization Act, also proposed as a bill at the Legislature.
Those responses have been nothing compared to battle against Ferry and HB187.
A new group - Utah Water Guardians - was formed and existing groups have united to fight the bill
Opinion pieces and letters to the editor have been printed and today the Trib's Editorial Board weighed in against the bill.
Letter writing and phone calling campaigns appear to be having an impact on Legislators.
Another chance to voice your opinion on the bill comes Thursday, Feb. 19, when a rally against the bill will be held on the east steps of the State Capitol. People are planning to meet at 10 a.m. and a press conference will start at 10:30 a.m.
-- Brett
posted by Brett @ 1:21 PM |
3 Comments:
Sweet!Although I am still waiting for response from my legislators, I am very glad that the public voice is being heard. Thanks for keeping an eye on issues for all utah outdoor users!
Locking up Utah's water recreational opportunitues is detrimental to all Utahns. Rivers and streams have been important places for families. I can not imagine how different my life and my relationship with my dad, brother, and kids would be had we not had the opportunity to fish on the straems and rivers we cherish. Fishing these waters haa added a measure of serenity to my families life. We are better people. We were taught to respect the environment and the properties we had access to. Never did we destroy, trash or harm someones property, or the streams and rivers we recreated in. This opportunity needs to be passed on to our children. Please join the fight against Representative Ferry's HB 187 bill. It is very narrow and self-serving legislation which will have a negative impact on Utah's image as a destination for outdoor recreation. This bill will single-handedly do away with all the positive things we accomplished with the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Keep up the fantastic work you guys!
- UWG
http://utahwaterguardians.com/
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